Lok Sabha Question No. 1800 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-16
Subject: Ambulance Services
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Uday Pratap Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1800 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 16 th  DECEMBER, 2022

## AMBULANCE SERVICES

## 1800:  SHRI UDAY PRATAP SINGH:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  lack  of  an  effective  emergency  care  network,  unequipped  and  uncertified ambulances without necessary facilities  are responsible for the inadequate emergency  medical response  services  resulting  in  high  casualty  rate  during  the  emergency  medical  crisis  in  the country;

(b) if so, the details thereof and necessary steps taken/proposed to be taken in this regard;

(c)  whether  the  Government  has  issued  guidelines  to  Government  and  Non-Government Organizations regarding the use of ambulances in the country and if so, the details thereof; and (d)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  put  in  place  any  mechanism  to  check  and  monitor ambulance services in the country and if so, the details thereof State/UT-wise including Madhya Pradesh?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

(a) to  (d)  The  primary  responsibility  of  strengthening  public  healthcare  system,  including efforts to have required number of ambulances especially in rural areas lies with the respective State/UT Governments.  The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare provides the technical and financial  support  to  the  States/UTs  to  strengthen  their  public  healthcare  system,  based  on  the requirements posted by States/UTs in their Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs) and within the overall resource envelope.

Under  the  National  Health  Mission,  various  steps  have  been  taken  to  support  the States/UTs for providing reliable and effective emergency care services.  Some of the key steps are:

-  MoHFW  has  launched  the  National  Ambulance  Services  (NAS)  under  the National Health Mission. Basic life support ambulances (BLS), Advanced life support ambulances (ALS) and patient transport vehicles (PTVs) are supported by the NAS. An ALS is supported for an average population of 5 Lakh and a BLS Ambulance is supported for over one lakh population. States are at liberty to propose the number of ambulances as per the norm to fill the gap.
-  All  BLS  and  ALS  ambulances  are  running  with  centralised  call  centres  which  are presently functioning in States/UTs with the numbers 102 and 108. Norms for both ALS & BLS are defined for the number of drugs, equipment, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) etc.
-  Dial 108 is predominantly an emergency response system, primarily designed to attend to patients of critical care, trauma and accident victims etc. Dial 102 services essentially consist of basic patient transport aimed to cater the needs of pregnant women and children though other categories  are  also  taking  benefit  and  are  not  excluded.  Janani  Shishu  Suraksha  Karyakaram (JSSK)  entitlements  e.g.  free  transfer  from  home  to  facility,  inter  facility  transfer  in  case  of referral and drop back for mother and children are the key focus of 102 service. For Dial 102 Service and Dial 108 Service, operational cost is supported under NHM.
-  There are a total 1,856 Advanced Life Support Ambulances, 16,859 Basic Life Support Ambulances, 3,253 Patient Transport Vehicles, 17 Boat and 131 Bike presently supported by NHM in the country (NHM MIS June 22).

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has issued the Automotive Industry Standard (AIS 125) also called the National Ambulance Code, that lays down the guidelines for state/UT governments and non-government organizations regarding the standards for ambulances  in  the  country.  It  is  mandatory  for  all  functional  ambulances  to  meet  the  criteria specified herein.

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