Lack of coordination among officials leads to failure of '108 ambulance service'

While there were only 70 ambulances operating in Ahmedabad city before the onset of the pandemic, 56 more vehicles were added to the service during the COVID crisis. However, due to a lack of coordination among officers, the service has failed to provide better facilities to people in Gujarat.

Gandhinagar: There is a hue and cry about the 108 ambulance service in Gujarat, especially in Ahmedabad, owing to a manifold increase in the number of calls the helpline number is receiving amid the coronavirus pandemic.

While there were only 70 ambulances operating in Ahmedabad city before the onset of coronavirus, 56 more vehicles were added to the service during the COVID crisis. Yet, because of a lack of coordination among officers, only 400 calls are being handled by the 108 services per day, according to information provided by the services.

The waiting period cannot come down

In Ahmedabad, there is a waiting time of three days for receiving the ambulance service of 108. If any patient calls 108, he/she will get an ambulance after three days.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Satish Patel, operation head of 108, said that till the handover time does not come down to seven minutes, the waiting period of 108 services cannot be reduced.

"Earlier, 108 services used to handle 800 cases in Ahmedabad alone. Against this, now only 300 to 400 cases are being handled because of the strange rules regarding 108 and lack of coordination between officers and hospitals, he added."

The strange rule that patients should be brought by 108 only

Patel said that a strange rule has been introduced in Ahmedabad that the government hospital will admit only those patients who are brought by the ambulance of 108 services.

"This strange rule, which is applicable only in Ahmedabad, is the cause of the long waiting period. This causes a delay in the movement of the ambulance from one place to another," he added.

The long queue of ambulances due to this strange rule

Patel further said that because of this strange rule, one can see a long queue of ambulances outside the hospital.

Moreover, people are facing more difficulties because the 108 services are now being managed by officers of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.

He also expressed regret that the 108 helpline number is unable to provide efficient service in Ahmedabad and other cities of Gujarat.

Patel said that before the COVID, Ahmedabad city was allotted 70 ambulances and 56 additional ambulances were added to the fleet following a sudden increase in the number of cases.

"Now, the city has 126 ambulances. During the first phase of coronavirus, 2,800 to 2,900 emergency cases were coming. But in the second phase of the pandemic, the 108 emergency service is getting 4,500 cases every day," he added.

At present 25,000 to 30,000 calls come to 108 helpline number

Patel further said that in the second phase of coronavirus, the emergency ambulance services has been receiving 25,000 to 30,000 calls daily from across Gujarat.

In Ahmedabad alone, 4,500 calls are being received. Earlier the response time of 108 was 8 to 12 minutes which has now increased to more than 24 hours.

After the decision to bring patients to government hospitals by the 108 ambulances compulsorily in Ahmedabad and Rajkot, there has been a delay in the response time of the service, he said.

He admitted that people of Ahmedabad and Rajkot have been calling frequently to complain about the delay in response time.