The State government has hired over 1,350 ambulances to transport COVID-19 patients from one hospital to another, or from their homes to hospitals or COVID care centres.
The mandate
“These ambulances will help in the implementation of the referral system, under which the hospitals referring the patients have to arrange for an ambulance to transport them, apart from informing the receiving hospitals,” said Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare K. Bhaskar.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, Mr. Bhaskar said, to ensure smooth functioning, a call centre had been set up in every mandal.
“The local health workers, doctors and hospitals have been given the call centre numbers, using which they can call an ambulance,” he said.
“Each mandal has a ‘108’ ambulance, but due to increase in the work load, the districts have been instructed to hire at least two additional ambulances per mandal exclusively for transporting the COVID non-critical patients,” Mr. Bhaskar said.
“While the minimum number of ambulances is two per mandal, there is no upper limit. Districts have been given the right to hire as many as they need,” he stated.
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