Bhubaneshwar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday dedicated 349 new ambulances for the people of Odisha to provide emergency medical services and free transportation to hospitals.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony held at the iconic Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, the Chief Minister said that the addition of new ambulances will help save many more precious lives.
According to reports, 279 emergency vehicles have been added to the 108 ambulance services. The remaining 70 have been provided to government medical colleges and hospitals and district headquarters hospitals (DHHs).
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Out of these 70, 40 are life-saving basic ambulances and 30 are life-saving advanced ambulances. A total of Rs 148.45 crore have been spent on the 349 ambulances.
With the dedication of new ambulances, the total strength of 108 ambulances in the state has gone up to 1,366.
At present, more than 4,000 patients are provided 108 ambulance services across the state on a daily basis. So, the inclusion of new ambulances will further boost the reach and scale of emergency patient transportation.
The 70 ambulances will be deployed at the government medical colleges and district hospitals for emergency transfer of patients from Government Hospitals to Private Hospitals under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) and will help meet the urgent needs of other patients at the district level.
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