HYDERABAD: The Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI) that runs the popular `108' services for medical, police and fire emergencies will enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Singapore Health Services (SHS) that runs `999' service.

EMRI Chief Executive Officer Venkat Changavalli said here on Thursday that the MoU, basically aimed at sharing of experiences, would be signed in Singapore on Friday.

Primarily, there would be training programmes focussed on Emergency Response Call Centre Physicians and Emergency Medical Technicians.

Giving the background for the strategic partnership before he left for Singapore on Thursday evening, he said it started with the visit in February of Anantharaman, Professor of Emergency Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, who heads the SHS team. He is understood to have expressed interest in the volumes of calls dealt by `108' here and the `passion' with which the 2,000-odd employees appearing to be going about their job in EMRI.

Dr. Anantharaman's visit was followed by another in March by a Singapore Minister. The MoU is for joint research projects to improve core competence in paramedics and doctors in both the agencies, apart from working on internal processes.

Mr. Venkat said `108' could learn the finer technical aspects and improve finesse from `999's strict process orientation, given its experience.

Mr. Venkat said since August 2005 until Thursday, it had saved 8,506 lives. On an average, about 20,000 calls were received at the call centre, of which emergencies numbered between 1,200 and 1,400. Starting with a 30-strong fleet, they now had 200 ambulances covering eight districts and the twin cities, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.

EMRI Chief Executive Officer said they were busy deploying the 432 ambulances that were partly funded by State Government.

By May end, there would be 500 ambulances, across the State, he said.

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