Karnataka to modernise and revamp ‘108’ ambulance service

‘108 command centre’ to be upgraded

The Karnataka Government has given administrative approval for upgrading the existing fleet of ‘108’ Arogya Kavacha ambulance service and modernising the ‘108 command centre’.

According to a press release from the Health and Medical Education Minister’s office, the upgrading and revamp of the Arogya Kavacha ambulance service will utilise the modern technological advances to save lives during the critical golden hour.

“The State Government is determined to implement the National Health Mission guidelines, which stipulate one Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance for 1 lakh population and one Advanced Life Support (ALS) for 5 lakh population. If an ambulance has handled four or more cases in 24 hours and has covered a distance of 120 km, that area requires an additional ambulance,” the release said.

“The State Government has given the approval to increase the number of ambulances to 750 from the present 710 and of these 40% will be ALS and 60% will be BLS. The Government will be buying 380 new ambulances, of which 340 will be for replacing the older ones and 40 will be fully equipped new ones,” the release said.

“The 108 command centre will be upgraded to serve as a vital link between the public and the personnel manning the ambulances. The command centre’s seats will be increased to 75 from the present 54 and it will be equipped with a GPS tracking facility for the ambulances,” the release added.