বাংলায় পড়ুন
Now, the Bengal government is also going to launch a new emergency helpline, ‘Dial 108 for emergency ambulance service’. The ambulances, along with the trained healthcare staff and life care support system equipment, will provide necessary medical aid during an emergency, and this will give patients a better survival chance with quick hospitalisation.
A few days ago, cyclone 'Biparaya' destroyed the coast of Gujarat. At that time, the 'Dial 108 Ambulance Service' was there and saved thousands of lives.
On August 15, 2005, the Dial 108 service was launched in Andhra Pradesh for the first time in the country. After being launched in Andhra Pradesh, the Dial 108 service was launched in Madhya Pradesh and then in successive states by 2007 under the initiative of the then Union Health Minister Ambumani Ramadoss. Later states like Gujarat, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, as well as the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu At present, this service is running on a PPP model in at least 20 states in the country. The last date for the submission of tenders was June 14. Now the health department is working on the tender. Health officials hope that many lives will be saved during emergencies like snake bites, heart attacks, strokes, or disasters like cyclones.
According to the Health Department, the private organisation that runs the Dial 108 service in most places requested the West Bengal government on their behalf to start this service. After that, the health department took a policy decision in this regard in June last year. GV Ramana Rao, leader of the private organisation, said, "This measure is being taken in action in West Bengal. Hopefully, the project will be implemented within the next 3–6 months." According to health officials, it has been agreed that the budget of the State Health Mission will be allocated around Tk 33 crore to launch the service. However, the responsibility for the ambulance and its management and operation will be in the hands of private organisations. They also said that several health workers, including doctors and nurses, need to be trained in emergency management before starting the service.
In cases of heart attack and stroke, from injections to dissolve blood clots to anti-snake venom serum or saline for snake bites, oxygen, and catheters, everything will be available in the ambulance.
