Maharashtra’s Emergency Medical Services (MEMS) 108 will be relaunched in a new, advanced format by November this year to enhance patient care. The Public Health Department has signed a 10-year agreement with a private company to upgrade the service.
Under this deal, a total of 1,756 state-of-the-art ambulances will be introduced across the state in five phases. In the first phase, 300 ambulances will be deployed, including five marine boat ambulances.
The new ambulances will be equipped with cutting-edge technology such as mobile data terminals, tablet PCs, GPS, caller location tracking, CCTV cameras, and a triage system. Additional features will include customer relationship management, computer-aided dispatch, vehicle tracking and management, and patient arrival notification systems.
Over 25 Medical Devices in Each Ambulance
Each 5G-enabled ambulance will feature more than 25 medical devices to aid in patient treatment. These will include ventilators, digital oxygen delivery systems, advanced stretchers, ECG systems, and cardiac monitoring systems. The MEMS 108 project also aims to integrate drone-based medical applications and helicopter-supported emergency medical services in the future.
Significant Increase in Ambulance Fleet
Currently, MEMS 108 operates 937 ambulances. With the expansion, this number will increase to 1,756. The new fleet will comprise 255 advanced life support ambulances, 1,274 basic life support ambulances, 36 neonatal ambulances, 166 first responder bikes, 10 marine boat ambulances, and 15 river boat ambulances.
