Mufti launches four trauma care ambulances in state

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, September 21

To help patients and to ensure their timely transfer to tertiary care hospitals during emergency, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed along with his Health Minister today launched four cardiac-and-trauma care ambulances.

The fully equipped critical care ambulances will be stationed at three places in Kashmir and also at Jammu.

While launching the ambulances, the Chief Minister emphasised the need for deploying more such critical care ambulances to help patients in dire need of such services across the state. Mufti also called for providing a select group of doctors and paramedics, who are trained in practice modalities, so that patients are provided “highest level of monitoring and care” required in exceptional situations, officials said in a statement.

The four critical care ambulances have been provided by a Pune-based NGO, Borderless World Foundation. Each ambulance, fitted with the equipment to handle cardiac and trauma cases, has also been provided with a cell number so that the service is easily accessible to the people.

The cell numbers have also been inscribed on the ambulances and it has been decided to place these critical care ambulances at Sangrama (north Kashmir), Pampore (central Kashmir), Ananatnag (south Kashmir) and at Jammu.

As per the MoU, the Directorate of Health Services, J&K, will provide staff, including doctors, paramedics and drivers for effective functioning of the service, officials said in the statement.

State Health Minister Chaudhary Lal Singh, who was also present on the occasion, informed that around 70 ambulances, which were under NHM (National Health Mission) have been pressed into service across the J&K to “facilitate quick referrals” and to save lives of patients”. Lal Singh also revealed that the Health Department would make ambulances in the state GPS-enabled so as to ensure their availability for transportation of patients who required advanced medical treatment.