Twenty five emergency ambulances to get GPS

Results of using the technology have been encouraging, say officials

GVK EMRI has started installing GPS in its 108 ambulances to expedite response to calls after accidents.

At present, GPS is available in two of its vehicles operating in Chennai. The results of using the technology were encouraging. Hence, as a pilot project 25 ambulances will be fitted with GPS, say officials.

“GPS would be especially helpful in the event of an accident involving multi-casualty when we need to deploy more vehicles to the accident site,” says B. Prabhudoss, head of marketing, GVK EMRI. It would also bring transparency at all times.

There have been instances of ambulances transporting victims or women in labour to hospitals meeting with accident. The organisation wants to prevent such accidents besides generating real-time data and analyse the accidents. “For instance, we would be able to map if the spot has a higher incidence of accident and if so what needs to be done to reduce them,” Mr. Prabhudoss said.

The details would be shared with planners or the police to enable them to better illuminate the location or create a barrier to prevent accidents. Mapping the terrain, to the exact latitude and longitude, would help the ambulance reach the hospital faster. “The accident site, the ambulance and the caller would form a triangle, making for quick movement,” he explains.

Although the visibility of 108 ambulances had increased considerably, fears that the ambulance personnel would not take the victims to the hospital of their choice remains, says M. Mohamed Bilal, head, hospital relations and programme manager.