24 ambulances flagged off

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 12

To ensure prompt emergency services to patients during the pandemic, Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu today flagged off 24 basic life support ambulances.

The minister said to reduce the shortage of ambulances in government hospitals, the Punjab Government had approved the procurement of 100 more ambulances. Of these, 61 had been procured Force Motors and 20 from Tata Motors.

In the first phase, 77 ambulances were procured from SML ISUZU Ltd. in keeping with the ‘Make in Punjab’ policy. Now, all 22 districts have advanced life support ambulances, equipped with life-saving equipment such as ventilator, defibrillator, multi-para patient monitor, suction machine, nebuliser, etc.

The ambulances had proved to be critical in the fight against the pandemic, reducing the time required for transit of critical patients to the health facilities. At a time when the number of patients was expected to rise, the addition of new ambulances would further boost the efforts in fighting the pandemic.