No life saving support in ambulances in JK

NL Correspondent

SRINAGAR: Even as the government having increased its fleet of ambulance in the state, the service has remained confined to mere transporting patients due to the lack of life support facilities and trained officials.

In the recently released Economic Survey, the government said that ambulance fleet in the state's health institutes has been increased to 900 which though are not fitted with basic life support equipments.

“Our state has 900 ambulances deployed across the State in different health institutions. Most of these ambulances are just for patient transport not even fitted with basic life support (BLS) equipments like; oxygen, suction machine, emergency drugs,” it said.

Most of these ambulances which ferry patients to the hospitals have not doctors and paramedics deputed due to which patients doesn't get the basic treatment on time.

“Admittedly a patient, who receives basic care from trained professional and is transported to the nearest health care facility within 15-20 minutes in an emergency, has the better chances of survival. In most of the ambulances, doctors/para-medics are not available,” the survey says.

Further the drivers of the ambulances lack basic life support training as well due to which complications in a patient increases while being transported to a health institute.

“The drivers of these ambulances shift the patients without any training on basic life support and the ambulances were earlier being operated without any net-working,” the survey says.

A doctor of Health Department said that the valley was in dire need of abundant critical care of ambulances due to the alarming increase in the trauma cases during past few years.

“We see that many previous lives are lost for the want of initial treatment during any mishap. A patient either dies due to loss of blood or dies of some complications. We have some critical acre ambulances but the number is too less,” he said while preferring anonymity.

Meanwhile survey informs that the government is mulling to 136 Basic Life Support Ambulances under National Highways Accident Relief Service Scheme (NHARSS).

“Department is planning to procure 136 Basic Life Support Ambulances (BLSA)under National Highways Accident Relief Service Scheme (NHARSS), for which Rs. 13.46 crore as 1stinstallment has been released by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Govt. of India. These ambulances shall be deployed in the hospitals along the national highways to tackle the eventualities arising due to the frequent road accidents,” it says.

The survey also says that Health department has established two Control Rooms at Jammu and Srinagar with vehicle tracking mechanism system (VTMS) fitted with GPS mounted on the ambulances connected through the network. “Till date, 400 ambulances have been connected through VTMS and are being operated through these control rooms, while as the remaining ambulances are also being covered shortly.”