The clearance of State Government for purchase of 60 new ambulances for the 108 emergency ambulance service would infuse a new lease of life in the aging fleet of the service.
The situation has come to a point where at least 75 per cent of the fleet needs immediate replacement.
The Government has recently floated tenders for purchase of 60 fully equipped ambulances for the 108 ambulance service. The health and family welfare department officials maintain that if everything goes as per the plan then the fleet of the emergency ambulance service would get augmented soon.
As per the guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO), all 138 ambulances of the emergency service are needed to be immediately replaced. The WHO mandates that the ambulances should be replaced after three years or 1.5 lakh kilometres whichever occurs first.
All the ambulances of the emergency 108 services have surpassed both these parameters. Ninety ambulances of the 108 service are of 2008 vintage. later 18 and 32 more ambulances were purchased in the years 2010 and 2011 respectively.
It is learnt that 70-75 ambulances of have covered more than 3 lakh kilometres while there are five such vehicles which are still being operated despite of the fact that they run for more than 5 lakh kilometres.
Remaining vehicles of the service have also covered more than two lakh kilometres.
The GVK EMRI 108 service was sending requisitions regularly from last five years for replacing old vehicles. The State Head of the GVK EMRI ambulance service, Manish Tinku welcomed the decision of the State Government to provide 60 new ambulances to the service.
He said that these ambulances would help the service to function in much better way. The 108 services is a vital cog in providing emergency care in all parts of the State. The services are also catering important task of transporting pregnant women for safe deliveries in the hospital.
The 108 ambulance service has a fleet of 138 ambulances and it has a boat ambulance too which is operated in Tehri lake. The State Government had recently released a sum of Rs 6 crore for the cash strapped services.