Facing a shortage of ambulances to ferry patients to Covid-19 care centres and Covid hospitals in the city, the state government is now converting Tempo Travellers into medical emergency vehicles.
The Bengaluru traffic police have already converted 20 Tempo Travellers into ambulances, and have set a target of 100. The Tempo Travellers have been fitted with the equipment needed during medical emergencies.
The 20 ambulances have been handed over to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). “We will convert 20 Tempo Travellers into ambulances every day,” said a senior officer in the traffic police.
At a meeting with ministers and officials in charge of the Bengaluru administration last week, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had ordered adding 100 ambulances to the existing fleet of 400. Following a direction by Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar, Joint Commissioner of police (Traffic) B R Ravikanthe Gowda directed the traffic police to identify about 100 Tempo Travellers that can be converted into ambulances.
All the vehicles have been rented from Kaveri Ambulance Service, Cubbonpet. “Depending upon the availability of beds in hospitals, these ambulances will operate throughout the day. We have the contact details of the drivers and attendants of these ambulances. Ward-level officials will coordinate with them to ferry patients,” said a senior official in the BBMP’s health department.