Chhattisgarh rolls out 370 new ambulances, including five neonatal mobile ICUs

RAIPUR: Giving a push to its emergency healthcare network in Chhattisgarh, a fleet of 370 new ambulances were on Tuesday flagged off, including 300 Basic Life Support (BLS) and 70 Advanced Life Support (ALS) vehicles, for deployment across all districts of the state. The fleet also includes five neonatal ALS ambulances — effectively mobile ICUs for newborns — equipped to handle critical neonatal emergencies and safely transport infants to higher medical centres, said officials.Chief minister rolled out 108 ambulance services that have been activated across the state with immediate effect, aimed at ensuring quicker and better-quality emergency medical response for patients in both urban and rural areas.Chief minister said the govt had set a target of making ambulance services available within 15 minutes in urban areas and within 30 minutes in rural areas, so that timely health support could reach every patient in need. He said the expansion of the 108 ambulance network would further reinforce public confidence that the govt would stand by citizens in times of crisis with sensitivity and promptness.Addressing the programme, Sai said public trust in govt hospitals had risen as patients were receiving timely treatment, while the expansion and upgradation of sub-health centres, primary health centres and community health centres had reduced the need for people to travel to cities for minor treatment.Health minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal said Chhattisgarh had become the second state in the country to start a neonatal ambulance service. He said a special monitoring system had been put in place to ensure that any complaint regarding delay or deficiency in ambulance services would invite immediate action.Officials said the neonatal ambulances have been fitted with advanced life-saving equipment, including incubators, ventilators, defibrillators, syringe pumps, nebulisers, suction machines, adequate oxygen support and 41 kinds of emergency medicines. The vehicles will also have trained neonatal emergency technicians, along with 24x7 availability of EMTs and pilots, and online guidance from specialist doctors.