Road accidents, heart ailments, and natural disasters are perceptibly some of the most common causes of medical emergencies in India. Considering the fact that emergencies can occur without prior intimation, ambulances and other emergency services are crucial players to minimize the damage caused to human life. Dr. Santosh Datar – Medical Director at Ziqitza Healthcare, says without ambulances, thousands of lives would have been lost each year in India regardless of how advanced healthcare and medical procedures get. The ‘Golden Hour’ is of paramount criticality since medical help sought during this particular interval can make or break the patient’s life.
The Government of India has collaborated with several private companies including Ziqitza Health Care Limited (ZHL) with a view to providing the citizens with basic facilities of emergency medical care under Public Private Partnerships, to provides ambulances with state-of-the-art technological equipment and well-trained paramedics for patients in need of emergency response medical service, strives to provide international standards of emergency medical care by facilitating helpline number 108 in multiple states in India.
Although necessary care is taken with regards to the ‘Golden Hour’, a major impediment that ambulances face especially in larger cities is the intensive traffic and disregard for traffic rules. However, ambulances have special rights and powers to tackle this issue in the interest of patient’s quick transportation to the hospital. Listed below are the few suggestions that can help improve ambulances services in India, in order to provide timely & world-class healthcare in case of an emergency, further explain by Dr. Datar, Medical Director, Ziqitza
- Jumping the signal: Signals are one of the major causes that result in delayed transportation of the patient. Hence ambulances are allowed to jump the red signal. Nevertheless, this can only be achieved if the ambulance is given way to pass through, right? This bit of duty lies with the public, the duty to ensure that vehicles are moved towards the left. In case of extreme traffic, the traffic police can block all other roadways despite the green signal and let the lane which has the ambulance pass through.
- Obstructions are a NO-NO: Obstructing an ambulance means unnecessary wastage of the ‘Golden Hour’. It is not only inhuman but also legally inadvisable to do so. If anyone obstructs the path of the ambulance, or parks in front of it without giving way, they can be fined for INR 2,000.
- Taking the wrong-side: If the traffic is jammed and an ambulance cannot move forward, they have the right to take a U-turn and take the wrong side. This is one of the reasons why the public should not tailgate an ambulance so that it has enough space to turn back and change its route if there’s a jam ahead.
- Stopping the VIPs: Every ambulance has the right to pass through even if the entire traffic is held up during a VIP visit. The VIP vehicles should be asked to stop and the lane which has the ambulance needs to be allowed to move. Thus, the ambulances in India have quite a few provisions to ensure efficacy in emergency medical care and transportation, when stuck in traffic inside an ambulance. Ziqitza Rajasthan has managed government project of Dial 108 in the past.
Mr. Chandan Datta, Head of Government Business - Ziqitza Healthcare Ltd, further says thatit has taken almost 2 decades for Ziqitza to build operational efficiency, training expertise and technological infrastructure to ensure the service delivery for 108 is not impacted. We believe the biggest challenge lies in the execution and information dissemination regarding the existing rights of the ambulances. Only by sharing and generating conversations about the topic it is possible to make the most of the Golden Hour. Do participate and help us spread awareness.
Ziqitza Healthcare has successfully served over 42 million patients across India in the last decade, elevating its position as an industry leader. Today, ZHL is not only recognized by the Indian Government, but also by several international institutions for its reliable services in the emergency medical field. Remember to call 108 during a medical emergency for an Ambulance.
About Ziqitza Healthcare Limited
Ziqitza Healthcare Limited (ZHL) is the leading provider of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in India since 2005. Our clients include hospitals, the Government and corporate clients in India & Gulf for varied EMS requirements like Ambulances, Medical Mobile units, telemedicine, and helplines. ZHL Rajasthan & Ziqitza limited Rajasthan also have appreciate Dr. Datar & his team at Ziqitza Limited for the observations made for the awareness & Rights on 108 Ambulance in India.
Ziqitza ’s focus on the vision of Saving & Enhancing Lives has helped save more than 42 million lives, and has transferred 2.5 lac corona patients and handled over 2 million telehealth calls. World Economic Forum has recognized Ziqitza as one of India’s Top 50 covid-19 last mile responders to the pandemic.
For further information please contact: visakh.dayanandan@zhl.in