Over 47 lakh benefit from 108 services: CEO

GVK-EMRI Chief Executive Officer Venkat Changavalli on Wednesday stated revealed that the success of the 108 ambulance services could be gauged by the fact that more than 80 thousand critically ill patients, among the 47 lakh emergency cases were shifted to hospitals in time to save their lives.

Mr Changavalli was addressing the gathering at a one-day workshop on Andhra Pradesh Comprehensive Emergency Medical Management System (AP CEMMS), at GVK-EMRI Campus, Hyderabad.

He went on to add that as many as 802 working 108 Ambulance presently existed in Andhra Pradesh alone, while as many as 2,600 such vehicles were working in the 9 states covered by the services.

He added that two more states the 108 Services would be extended to two more states, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh, from next month.

Mr Changavalli revealed that the GVK Foundation has kept its promise to support the services by releasing Rs 15 crore per annum for the GVK-EMRI services.

He added that over 3 lakh pregnant women were shifted to respective hospitals through the 108 ambulances. Mr Changavalli added that around 2 per cent of these pregnant women had given birth in the ambulances while on their way to hospital.

Speaking on the occasion, A and D Department HOD CMC Vellore Professor Suresh David demanded that the Medical Council of India start MD Emergency services. He said that there is acute need for emergency physicians.

The Government of Andhra Pradesh had entered into an agreement with GVK-EMRI under Public and Private partnership mode and recognised EMRI as the State Level Nodal Agency to provide emergency response service across the State in coordination with the public agencies (APVVP etc), which will help drive greater transparency, agility, and better citizen service.

This agreement is part of the government’s commitment to improve the access of healthcare services, particularly in emergency situation for the pregnant women, neonates, infants and children, and trauma victims and other health emergencies in the general population; and thereby help the State to achieve the critical Millennium Development Goals in the health sector, ie reduction of Infant Mortality Rate and Maternal Mortality Rate, and in general improve the health-confidence in the people by improving their ability to access healthcare service in case of emergencies.

With the large-scale deployment of “108” emergency Ambulance services in the rural areas under the AP-EMRI umbrella, the State could deliver best possible pre-hospital care services to its population. However there is still a gap in the continuum of care in terms of emergency patient care management. To bridge that gap it is now proposed to strengthen Emergency patient care services in the hospital and make them more effective and efficient.

The workshop was the 3rd in this series in which experts and state representatives come together to conceptualize a comprehensive emergency medical management system for AP (APCEMMS) and to make public commitment (Declaration) for strengthening emergency patient care management in AP by preparing the hospitals as safe and reliable destinations for the community to seek emergency care services, imparting emergency care skills to medical, nursing and paramedical staff when approached for immediate medical attention and establishing an integrated approach in emergency care delivery through continuous and developmental relationships.

The workshop was organised collaboratively by AP Vaidya VIdhana Parishad and GVK-EMRI under the overall supervision of the Principal Secretary to Government, (PH), HM and FW department Government of Andhra Pradesh.