Recognising the indispensable role forest guards play in conservation of forest and wildlife, WWF-India and Apollo Hospitals have entered into a partnership to address medical conditions of forest guards and provide immediate medical relief to them. This support will be provided in 10 priority landscapes where WWF-India is actively working along with State forest departments.
The partnership will entail the hospital chain to provide treatment and recovery support for frontline staff in case of a severe medical emergency, while on field on a first-come-first-serve basis. This support will be provided in the States of Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, where WWF is working in close coordination with the State forest department.
This partnership will cover medical cases including grievous injury due to attacks by wild animals; fall from elevated areas; accidents while patrolling in vehicles; burns during fire-fighting operations; bullet/sharp weapon injuries inflicted by poachers; injuries inflicted by people during mob control when handling cases of human-wildlife conflict; life threatening diseases like malaria, dengue etc; venomous bites/stings, and electrocution. Other services to be made available would include air ambulance and other emergency medical rescue services.