In an attempt to reduce traffic accident deaths, the State government and emergency services provider GVK-EMRI, launched bike ambulances here on Wednesday.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao flagged-off bike ambulances at People’s Plaza, along with ambulances for maternal care and two-wheelers for ANMs. The bike ambulances will be ridden by a trained Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). It is being equipped with medication, an oxygen cylinder, cervical collar and first-aid kit for first response. Fifty bikes are being deployed in GHMC starting Thursday.
Across the commissionerates of Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda, over 900 people lost their lives in 2017, data with the Telangana police shows. All three commissionerates have claimed reduction in numbers over 2016’s figures. The health department and EMRI maintain that first response can help bring down the number further.
Crucial minutes
“Reaching to road-traffic accident victims within the first 10 minutes is crucial. We are trying to do that with the bike ambulances,” operational head for GVK-EMRI in Telangana P. Brahmanand Rao said.
Movement of conventional ambulances is greatly affected during peak traffic hours, with response times exceeding 30 minutes, though the average response time captured over a day is pegged at around 18 minutes , Mr. Rao further said while explaining the job cut out for bike ambulances.
The State had foreseen the need for bike ambulances about a decade ago and launched bikes then, which eventually fizzled into oblivion due to lack of technical staff. It appears the manifold increase in traffic density on Hyderabad’s roads may have pushed for reintroduction.
Maternal care
The Chief Minister also launched ‘102’ maternal ambulance service to pick up and drop women before and after delivery, with their neonates, from home and public health facilities. A call-center is being set up in Hyderabad to coordinate the service. The ambulance service will be also used to transport women with high-risk pregnancies being tracked through the KCR Kits programme.
‘Project Rekkalu’ or two-wheeler vehicle scheme for auxiliary nursing midwives was also launched. Under the scheme, the centre and state will contribute for the purchase of a two-wheeler at a discounted price.
