The launch was held at Vidhana Soudha on Monday.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: In a concerted effort to help road crash victims and reduce fatalities across the state, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday launched 65 ambulances, exclusively aimed to transport victims to the nearest taluk or district hospital for free within the golden hour.
Under the 'Chief Minister's Emergency Ambulance Service', these include 26 advanced life support (ALS) ambulances with defibrillators, oxygen cylinders and life-saving drugs, linked to 26 district hospitals and medical colleges and 39 basic life support (BLS) ambulances linked to as many taluk hospitals near National and State Highways where blackspots have been identified.
The launch was held at Vidhana Soudha in collaboration with the state health department and transport department, and the ambulances were funded by the Karnataka State Road Safety Authority (KSRSA) as a part of its Rs 45 crore allocation to enhance road safety. "The golden hour is very important during an emergency such as a road crash. Hundreds of lives can be saved if emergency treatment is provided within the first hour, which is what these ambulances will help in," Siddaramaiah said.
Noting that the state sees 40,000 road crashes every year, with about 10,000 deaths, state health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that this project will be expanded to include all taluk hospitals over the next year.
"These 65 ambulances will augment the services of the 108 ambulances in the state and will enable the transportation of victims across taluks and districts, if needed. The manpower, including technicians and staff nurses, will be provided by the state health department. Eventually, we might require an addition of at least 150 ambulances to cover the state," Dinesh Gundu Rao told DH.
Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy assured support to provide more ambulances under the state road safety fund.
Cancel licences of traffic rule violators: CM
Siddaramaiah advised vehicle users to completely stop driving under the influence of alcohol, noting that following traffic rules diligently will prevent most road crashes.
"The driving licences of people driving without following traffic rules, drink-driving and speeding must be cancelled," he instructed the transport minister.