Since the past few decades, Indian citizens have rattled against unregulated emergency services. In the recent past, with the help of National Health Mission (NHM), the 108 ambulance services have been initiated to enhance the efficacy of emergency medical services in India. Despite these provisions, multiple myths have arisen about ambulances. Read on to know more:
- Ambulances are only a means of transport: Before the 1990s, hammocks or other vehicles were used to fulfill the need for emergency medical services. Today, however, India has installed dedicated ambulance services in order to cut-short preventable deaths by providing quick and quality emergency medical services, with trained medical staff and enough equipment on board to stabilize the medical condition of the patient.
- Ambulances are always affiliated with hospitals: The Indian government has partnered with private organizations such as Ziqitza Health care Limited (ZHL) to increase competency in emergency medical facilities. 108 and 1298 are toll-free numbers due to which emergency medical services can be accessed at any time of the day or night. Ambulance services are not always affiliated with a hospital. In fact, ZHL also locates the nearest hospital to the patient, in order to ensure minimum transit time.
- Ambulances only provide first aid: Ambulances offer life-saving apparatus along with first aid. Ambulances offered by ZHL include Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS) equipment including a defibrillator, oxygen cylinder and electrocardiography (ECG) machine.
- Ambulances are not staffed: Apart from the driver, ambulances have paramedics on board who are equipped to aid the patient with emergency medication. ZHL has fully trained medical professionals on board certified by international institutions in order to provide the best emergency medical care.
- Ambulances will not transport a patient if the police are not informed: The ZHL call operators can connect to the nearest police station to inform them about the fatalities and attend the patient without any delay. Even if the police are not informed, ambulances can transport the patient to the hospital in the meantime, until the formalities are mitigated.
- Ambulances are available only in the urban locale: The emergency healthcare industry has time and again faced flak for not availing quality ambulance services in rural areas. However, in the recent times, efforts such as NHM’s 108 have been striving to bridge the gap by providing free-of-cost ambulances that principally focus on efficiency and timeliness. ZHL services in over 17 states, fundamentally striving to improvise the emergency healthcare scenario in rural areas.
Although ambulance services may take measures for the betterment of the existing scenario, information dissemination regarding the services they provide is a major challenge, today.
Emergency medical services are a basic need and not a provision. The aim to increase its reach and accessibility are possible through the efficient transmission of the information about them. Spread the word about 108 and help us save more lives. To know more visit our Zhl website.