Even as the State boasts of aggressive action plans to improve road safety, the entry of mechanically unfit vehicles as ambulances is going unchecked in the absence of a proper screening mechanism.
Vehicles with poor cubic capacity that can only be used for palliative care or mortuary purposes are plying across national and State highways taking advantage of relaxed speed regulation norms.
Even after the introduction of a centralised ambulance service network by the government under the Kanivu-108 project, there is no system in place to periodically inspect the fitness of such vehicles or test the driving skills of those behind the wheel. The proposals submitted by experts to streamline the sector too remain ignored.
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Functionaries of Kozhikode-based Active Network Group of Emergency Lifesavers (ANGELS) who pioneered efforts to convert ambulances into emergency lifesavers in the State said it was high time the government introduced a scientific colour coding system to categorise ambulances on the basis of their services. They pointed out that it would help in easy identification of vehicles carrying the dead and those under emergency medical care.
“Since ambulances are considered as emergency life savers, we need a proper system to periodically inspect their fitness, quality of facilities, infection control standards, arrangements for patient care, and drivers’ ability to handle emergency situations. Sadly, we lack such measures,” said P.P. Venugopal, a senior emergency medicine expert and executive director of ANGELS. He added that it was high time the government introduced an emergency vehicle operation course for drivers who operate basic life support (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS) ambulances.
According to Dr. Venugopal, the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) can consider constituting a team to study the situation with the support of medical experts. “Ambulance operators get priority treatment on the road and exemption from traffic regulations, and they should be held accountable for ensuring a safe service,” he said.
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A number of district- and State-level projects to improve ambulance services are pending with the government thanks to poor cooperation on the part of a few operators. A comprehensive proposal earlier submitted by the ANGELS team to the Justice M. Ramachandran Commission carrying five specific action plans aimed at streamlining ambulance services, the government is yet to take any favourable action.
According to a senior doctor, one of the suggestions was fixing of a fair service tariff, which was overlooked due to staunch opposition from a few private organisations operating in the sector. Similar was the case with the implementation of a National Ambulance Code proposed in 2013 by the Automotive Industry Standard Committee of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to define constructional and functional requirements for ambulances, he pointed out.