Spurred by success, the State Government on Tuesday inked another pact with Mumbai-based Ziqutza Health Care limited to extend 24 X 7 Odisha Emergency Medical Ambulance Service (OEMAS) to the left-out 15 districts for the second and final phase.
Health and Family Welfare Principal Secretary PK Mohapatra and ZHC limited Chief Executive Officer Sweta Mangal signed a MoU at a function in the State Secretariat in presence of Health Minister Dr Damodar Rout, Chief Secretary JK Mohapatra and Development Commissioner I Srinivas.
The ZHC has been engaged for operation and management of the Odisha Emergency Medical Ambulance Service (OEMAS) project in the entire State for a period of five years in PPP mode. The State Government is providing Rs 1.20 lakh per ambulance towards operational charge to the private agency.
Notably, the first phase of the Odisha Emergency Medical Ambulance Service (OEMAS) had been rolled out on March 5 last in 15 districts.
The remaining 15 districts including Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Deogarh, Sonepur, Balangir, Baragarah, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Gajapati, Nuapada, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, Kandhamal, Boudh and Nayagarah will be covered in the second phase.
The aim of the project is to provide quality emergency care transport within the shortest possible time free of cost to the people of the State. The fleet comprises both Basic life Support and Advance life Support ambulance, said Dr Rout while addressing on the occasion.
Stating that the service facilitates part of an integrated and comprehensive health care system providing high-end ambulance transport at door step of the patient to hospital, Dr Rout said that a total of 420 ambulances for the entire State would be pressed into services.
He informed that so far 210 have been launched which are operational in 14 of the 15 districts in the first phase except Keonjhar. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik would launch the Odisha Emergency Medical Ambulance Service (OEMAS) at Keonjhar on Wednesday, he added.
Health and Family Welfare Secretary Mohapatra said that so far 31,943 patients have availed services of the 108 ambulances. He said all the ambulances will be monitored through GPS tracking system. The ambulance will be manned by specially trained emergency medical technicians, attendants and drivers. He informed that the ambulances would be converted into mobile hospitals with sophisticated equipment.