The use of 108 ambulance service, operated by the Emergency Management and Research Institute, peaked in May. Out of 71,555 beneficiaries handled, the ambulance was used for 19,975 pregnancy-related emergencies, a release said.
“Normally, we see a peak in May every year. But in March this year, as many as 69,659 persons used our service. We thought we had reached the peak until we found that the figures for May had increased further. In March, around 19,850 pregnant women used our service,” said B. Prabhudoss, head of marketing and public relations.
Until last year, an average of 17,000 beneficiaries used the ambulance for pregnancies and related emergencies.
The institute would soon launch its specially designed four-wheel hilly terrain ambulance. Last year in its budget, the government proposed to induct 54 vehicles for hilly and coastal areas. At present, over 300 emergency medical technicians are undergoing training. When the vehicles are commissioned, ambulance use for pregnancy-related emergencies is expected to go up further.
