GUWAHATI, Nov 5 � In just four years of its operation, Mrityunjoy-108 Emergency Response Services (ERS) has attended to 1.3 million emergencies and has saved 51,216 lives in critical conditions, a press release received here said.
It may be recalled that on November 6, 2008, the service was launched by Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, in presence of Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma Minister for Health & Family Welfare, under the aegis of NRHM. The service was started with 20 ambulances in Guwahati and eventually covered the entire State within a year�s time.
Today, 280 ambulances and 3 boat ambulances are in operation. These 3 boat ambulances cater emergencies in Majuli, Sadiya and Dhubri.
In addition, GVK EMRI also operates 100 vehicles under ADARANI project for carrying of new born and mother back to home after discharge from hospital. This service is in PPP mode with the State Govt. under JSSK scheme of NRHM.
On October 17 last �108� was recognised as a single point contact number for all emergencies. Over the years, GVK EMRI has catered to 1.2 million medical emergencies which includes 4.3 lakh pregnancy related cases. Since inception of this services there was 7741 deliveries inside the ambulances.
108 EMS is a centralised emergency response service for any emergency, be it medical, police and fire. Anyone at any time, from anywhere can call 108 and appropriate help in the form of ambulance, police and / or fire brigade may be avoided. Ambulance of 108 is equipped with all the necessary medicines and equipment for handling any type of emergency. It is manned by a team of Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Pilot (ambulance driver), who are trained to handle all types of emergency situations. The complete service, dialling the number 108, the ambulance service and pre-hospital care in the ambulance, is free of cost of every citizen.
