Bike Ambulances That Can Reach The Patient In Just 10 Minutes

Karnataka, 16 April, 2015 - Karnataka launched the much-awaited two-wheeler ambulance service on 15th April 2015 and became the first state to do so. Karnataka has just launched bike ambulances which will provide crucial medical support to the patient in need till the four wheeler ambulance arrives. The service will be very useful in congested areas with heavy traffic, where a four-wheeler is unable to reach on time.

We often see an ambulance stuck in traffic, trying to move past the huge trail of vehicles in front of it and reach the hospital on time. During that golden hour, when every single second counts, traffic wastes a lot of time, sometimes even leading to loss of life.

Now, if you happen to be in Bengaluru, you  might witness two-wheelers zipping through the traffic carrying medical supplies to reach the needy patients and administer crucial emergency care until the four wheeler ambulance arrives.

The much-awaited two-wheeler ambulances will hit the streets in the State from Wednesday. Health Minister U.T. Khader, who launched 30 first responder bike ambulances in the city on Tuesday, said his department was working at introducing air ambulances in the State by this year end.

Two companies had evinced interest in taking up the air ambulance project in the State, the Minister said.

Terming the bike ambulance project as a “platinum ten minutes” trauma care initiative, Mr Khader said the bikes will be flagged off by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on 15^th April.

Aimed at reducing deaths due to road accidents, the platinum trauma care initiative is useful for negotiating heavy traffic in urban areas where it will be difficult for four-wheeler ambulances to reach the accident spot at the earliest.

The initiative will be implemented through GVK-EMRI the organisation that is running the 108 Arogya Kavacha ambulance service. The bike ambulance rider will be a trained paramedic who has a driving licence. “The paramedic will reach the spot in ten minutes and give first aid and start resuscitation measures to save the victim till the four-wheeler ambulance arrives,” he said.

Each bike ambulance will carry 40 medical items including stethoscope, pulse oxymeter, bandages and IV normal saline apart from 53 basic drugs. The government has spent nearly Rs 2 lakh on each of the bike ambulances.