The 61 new vehicles purchased recently by the health department to be used as ambulances are gathering dust outside the office of the Director General (DG) health. These vehicles would be refurbished and fitted with necessary equipment before being handed over to the 108 -emergency ambulance service. The fleet of ambulances is purchased to replace the aging vehicles in the 108 ambulance service. The department sources claim that the vehicles purchased in the month of March could remain standing for at least one to two more months before being inducted into the fleet of the emergency ambulance service. These vehicles have been supplied by the Tata motors.
The Secretary of medical and family welfare, Nitesh Jha told The Pioneer that the vehicles are in a process of procurement and induction in to the ambulance service. He informed that the tenders for refurbishment for these vehicles have been floated and these ambulances would be inducted into the fleet of the 108 service till the end of this month.
Jha added that apart from these 61 vehicles 50 more ambulances would be purchased soon and handed over to the 108 service.
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 139 ambulances and it has a boat ambulance too which is operated in Tehri lake.