Enter, two wheeler ambulances

With traffic crawling at 12 km per hour in the city, the Health Department is planning to introduce two-wheeler ambulances that would supplement the four-wheeler 108 services. “The idea is to first reach out to the accident victims at the earliest with medical services as in many cases the four-wheelers may take time to reach busy areas,” said an official of the Department.

The two-wheeler ambulance services have already been launched in Tamil Nadu.Initially, upto 50 two-wheelers will be launched in Hyderabad and later a few more will be introduced in other towns. On an average it is taking 20 minutes for the 108 services to reach the accident spot. The Health Department officials say that with the introduction of the two-wheeler ambulances, the time taken to reach accident spots would come down to 10 minutes.

The government plans to train technicians who can also double up as the rider. Basic medical kits will be provided to these technicians who will be able to first administer medical aid. A senior official said, “The intention is to first stabalise the patient before the four-wheeler 108 services reach the spot.” Medical practitioners have welcomed the move as it would help patients first get attention as every second counts in severe accidents.