Bhubaneswar, March 5: The next time you encounter a medical emergency, dial 108.

The state government today launched a free round-the-clock ambulance service in 15 districts of Odisha. The Odisha Emergency Medical Ambulance Service (OEMAS) will eventually be extended to the remaining districts.

In the first phase, 280 air-conditioned ambulances will render free service to the people, especially accident victims. People need to dial 108 to get the free service. Another 140 ambulances will be pressed into action in the second phase.

Sources in the health department said there would be one ambulance for every one lakh people.

Response time for the ambulance service has been set at 20 minutes in urban areas and 35 minutes in rural areas. The project had been in the pipeline for the past four years.

The project, launched in public private partnership (PPP) mode, will have ambulances with basic life support (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS) systems. While the BLS ambulances will have oxygen cylinders, electrocardiogram monitors, the ALS ambulances will have additional equipment for intensive care unit such as ventilators and defibrillators.

Sources in the state health department said the fleet would include 80 per cent of BLS and 20 per cent of ALS ambulances. Of the 280 ambulances to be launched in the first phase, 57 will have ALS.

A call centre has been set up in Bhubaneswar to keep a tab on the ambulances, which have been provided with a GPRS tracking system. Sources in the health department said the GPRS would enable the control room to monitor the location of ambulances. Consequently, after getting a call, the nearest ambulance would be pressed into action.

“As far as positioning of the ambulances is concerned, a committee of the district collector and the superintendent of police will decide where the ambulances will be stationed. Accident-prone areas of a district will be taken into account,” said state director of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), P.K. Meherda.

The cost of each ambulance is Rs 16 lakh and another Rs 1.26 lakh would be given on a monthly basis to the private party as operations cost. Each ambulance will have two technicians. NRHM sources said a budgetary provision of Rs 75 crore has been made for next financial year for smooth functioning of the project.

The tender for implementation of the second phase of the project will be floated this month and service in the remaining districts is likely to be launched in July.