70 ambulances added to fleet, 50 more soon

Reported by indianexpress.com on 07 August 2012
70 ambulances added to fleet, 50 more soon - Indian Express

In a bid to tackle the shortage of emergency vehicles in the Capital, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Monday launched 70 new ambulances acquired by the Centralised Accident and Trauma Service (CATS). With the induction of the new fleet, 101 ambulances are now in service, and 50 more will be added soon.

After flagging off the new fleet with Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Dikshit said, “This will go a long way in saving the lives of patients.” She said an efficient ambulance system capable of responding to medical emergencies would help increase institutional and safe deliveries, reduce infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate.

The government’s response to an RTI query last month had revealed the poor state of Delhi’s emergency response system. Other than a shortage of ambulances, the RTI reply said CATS, which manages government-run ambulances, operated 35 vehicles of which 31 were purchased before the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The reply also revealed staff shortage. It said most ambulances were operated by the driver, who doubled up as the attending paramedic.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the ambulance to people ratio should be one to 1 lakh. This means that Delhi needs 160 ambulances for good emergency healthcare services.According to Delhi Health Minister Dr A K Walia, CATS ambulances will now be manned by a driver and a paramedic. Both will have gone through an intensive three-week training course in ambulance services. Dr Walia said, “The personnel have been given wireless communication skills by Delhi Police and drivers trained to assist paramedics.

”Dikshit also announced that all ambulances would be monitored through a central control room, which includes tracking and location services. The control room is now accessible through the toll free number 102 and is also connected to the police and fire control rooms.