Feeder ambulances to cater to emergencies in tribal areas

Vizianagaram: The state government is taking steps towards healthcare of people living in remote villages. Currently, the people living in villages, which have no road connectivity, are struggling to reach hospitals. They are forced to be shifted by Doli which will be carried by four persons.

The pregnants and snake bite case victims have to be shifted to hospitals in no time, but the patients have no other option than go thereby Doli. No ambulance will reach the villages as there are no roads for hill top areas like Vempatapuram, Tadikonda, Dhulikuppa and some others in G L Puram mandal. Now, the government has introduced the feeder ambulances which can carry the patients to hospitals even through narrow roads.

This ambulance is nothing but a motorcycle and a small bed is attached and covered it with dome. The patient can sleep in that bed and the attendant of patient can sit behind the driver. With this facility, the patient can be shifted to hospital even from a remote village.

There are 24 feeder ambulances in the district placed at the 24 remote points each covering 4-5 inaccessible villages and 500-800 tribal population in TSP mandals like G L Puram, J M Valasa, Kurupam, Komarada, Makkuva, Saluru, Pachipenta and plain tribal areas like S Kota mandals. The ambulance can be reached by dialing 108 call.

Once the call lands in to feeder ambulance driver phone, in next 10-15 minutes the patient is picked. Bike drivers are trained on basic health tips to give first aid to patient. Since its introduction, some 684 cases were attended from 100 tribal habitations.