With the Indian Medical Association, Kerala, joining hands with the Kerala Police, the ambulance network in the city has got a boost. Along with the Angel-Raksha project introduced by the district administration, the services help people reach out for medical help faster in times of emergency.
The network of ambulances by the IMA trauma rescue initiative, called IMA Network for Trauma and Emergency Care (IMTEC), has brought under it drivers from rural as well as city hospitals.
The ambulance service number, 9188100100, was launched recently in Thiruvananthapuram.
“About a hundred ambulances have joined the network,” said Dr. K.V. Beena, district chairperson of the project. “With the police getting involved in the ambulance service, the network becomes live as the police get initial information on any accident in a place.
Participation of the rural police in Muvattupuzha, Perumbavoor and Kothamangalam is key in making the network active,” said Dr. Beena.
IMTEC has ambulances that charge as per the hospital and when a patient is not able to pay, it is supported by Thiruvananthapuram-based Dr. Ramesh Kumar Foundation.
Nearly 30 hospitals in the district under the ten IMA branches here have come together for the project so far.
Ambulance captains, the drivers under the new network, were trained by the Emergency Department of Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences.
Voluntary service
The Angel-Raksha project, another ambulance network in the city supervised by the district administration, had evolved from a voluntary network of 47 ambulances three years ago to about 300 ambulances now, with its presence mostly in the city and nearby areas. It is reachable at 102 and is connected with GPS through a console operated in the General Hospital.
On an average, Angels network gets about five to six trauma cases a day.