Telangana: Additional Ambulances To Be Deployed On NH 65 To Meet 10-Minute Rule

NALGONDA: Additional ambulances responding to 1033 call would be deployed on National Highway 65 between Choutuppal and Kodad in Telangana in accordance with the new rule of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) that there will be a ₹10,000 penalty in case an ambulance does not reach the accident site within 10 minutes.

Presently, there are two BLS (basic life support) ambulances stationed at Panthangi and Korlapahad toll plazas for deployment on NH 65 between Choutuppal and Kodad, a stretch of 160 kilometres. These are being maintained by the contracting agency S.P. Group of Companies. They cover a 30-km radius within a maximum of 15 minutes. Between the two ambulances, the distance covered will be 120 km.

There is a proposal to increase the number of ambulances by two to three, so as to cover the entire 160-km stretch within the “golden hour” of 10 minutes, as per the NHAI norm.

Pusapathi Satheesh of NHAI said the 10-minute rule of NHAI with the new ambulance service agency would come into effect in a week. He disclosed that each NHAI ambulance would have all emergency medical equipment. It would be equipped with two Global Position Systems (GPS), one tracked by NHAI and the other by the servicing agency.

Compliance will be monitored through GPS data and the Intelligent Medical Software Care dashboard. Ambulance pilots must attend to the 1033 phone call within a couple of rings and start within one minute of accepting the emergency call. NHAI would penalise if there is any violation of the 10-minute golden hour rule.

Satheesh said NHAI is planning to introduce Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances, which would also have the ventilator facility.

Source: www.deccanchronicle.com