‘108 emergency ambulance’ users give service a big thumbs up

The success stories of the 108 free ambulance service are unending. The service introduced by the Punjab government is flooded with feedback calls from grateful relatives who believe they owe the life of their dear ones to the prompt service.

“The ambulance reached on time and it was clean. The driver also ensured that we reach the hospital on time. And the service was totally free,we were not charged a penny. We could not have asked for more and wish this service continues,” said Lal Muhammad,a resident of Sangrur whose relative Gulshan was rushed to a hospital on July 1.

Started in April 2011,as a PPP project of Punjab Health Systems Corporation (PHSC),the 108 free ambulance service is fast becoming the state’s biggest success story. In the last 15 months,these ambulances have transported almost 2.5 lakh patients to hospitals.

Among these 2.5 lakh patients,over 70,000 were pregnant women. Since the last three months,these ambulances are also picking up the mothers and their newborns from the hospital and dropping them to their homes as part of Janni Shishu Suraksha Karya-kram. The service has also helped rush another 36,000 accident victims to hospitals. On an average,the 108 service receives about 1,000 calls a day.

“The free emergency response service has boosted the availability of hospital facilities by pregnant women and underprivileged sections of society. It is a reliable technology-driven service that has captured the imagination of the citizens of Punjab in a big way,” said Raji P Shrivastava,MD (PHSC).

Ziqitza Health Care Ltd,a Mumbai-based company that has partnered with PHSC,is operating the 108 ambulance service in Rajasthan,Bihar,Kerala and Punjab. It soon plans to start operation in Orissa. Ziqitza CEO Sweta Mangal said: “In Punjab,we started with 90 basic life support ambulances in 12 districts and right now we are operating 240 ambulances. The highest number of ambulances operate in Ludhiana,Amritsar,Gurdaspur and Patiala.”

108 is the toll free number,which can be dialed by any mobile or landline phone. On dialing,anyone in Punjab can avail this service within 20 minutes in city and 30 Minutes in rural areas — for any kind of road accident,farm accidents,delivery,cardiac emergencies etc.

Each ambulance is equipped with global positioning system. The 108 control room in Amritsar sends the nearest ambulance to the victim. Each ambulance is operated by one driver and an emergency medical technician (EMT). The EMT tries to stabiles the condition of the patient on the way. He can also take a doctor’s advice in case of a critical case.

The ambulance shifts the patient to the nearest government hospital. However,in case of a specific request or in case the patient is very critical,he can also be dropped at a private hospital. Till now,out of the total patients delivered,65 per cent have been dropped at government hospitals.