The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : “Golden hour” to be reduced to 15 minutes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 19, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

“Golden hour” to be reduced to 15 minutes

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: Plans have been drawn up to reduce the time gap between a call to phone number 108 to attend a medical emergency and arrival of the Rajiv Arogyasri ambulances sent by the Government through the Emergency Management & Research Institute (EMRI) to 10 to 15 minutes hereafter.

To facilitate reduction of time gap, the Government has agreed to provide another 500 ambulance vehicles to the EMRI, 300 by April and another 200 by August. This will take total fleet of EMRI in the State to a high of 1,002.

The EMRI operates now 502 ambulances, employing over 3,500 people and using software and other skills provided by Satyam Computers.

Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy cleared the proposal for handing over another 500 vehicles to the EMRI at a high level meeting here on Tuesday, while reviewing EMRI performance so far. Health & Family Welfare Minister S. Chandrasekhar and Venkat Chengavalli, CEO, EMRI, told reporters later that Rajiv Arogyasri project would be able to tackle 30 lakh emergencies annually once the fleet strength was increased to 1,000 as against 10 lakhs now, and save 50,000 lives.

At present, the EMRI received 35,000 calls a day and saved 70 lives on an average.

The ambulances saved 18,300 lives during last eight months, reaching the accident spot within the “golden hour”. Mr Chengavalli said they had signed agreements with 1,640 private hospitals to provide free treatment for 24 hours to an emergency case brought by Rajiv Arogyasri ambulances.

The entire Rajiv Arogyasri project would be worth Rs 150 crores by next year (Rs 70 crore now).

He unveiled a Rs 200-crore project to introduce mobile hospitals in rural areas from January 26.

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