‘Bike ambulances’ launched in Tamil Nadu to bridge last-mile healthcare gaps

Chennai: With an aim to improve health care access in tribal and hard-to reach remote areas, the Tamil Nadu government on Thursday announced the launch of 25 ‘Bike Ambulances’ in 10 districts to bridge the last-mile healthcare gaps.

The 25 bike ambulances, which will be procured at a cost of Rs 1.60 crore, will act as feeder units to the existing 108 ambulance network of 1,353 vehicles across the state. They will provide first-responder emergency services, patient stabilisation, and prompt transport to higher-level medical care.

The decision to launch ‘bike ambulances’ comes after several incidents of death among people living in remote and hilly areas being reported due to poor healthcare access in such areas. Incidents of pregnant women being carried by men for kilometers together from hilly terrain have also been reported in the past.

Though over 20 ambulance vehicles cater to the tribal villages, challenges still persist due to the lack of all-weather roads and narrow pathways as patients risk their lives to reach the nearest healthcare facility, sometimes with critical delays, senior government officials said.

“This initiative targets timely medical care for underserved communities in rugged regions with limited transportation infrastructure, where conventional ambulance services face challenges,” Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary (Health & Family Welfare), said.

The ambulance will provide maternal and child health services like support for antenatal care, labour, safe delivery transport, and child health check-ups, besides being equipped to handle medical and accidental emergencies, and enabling rapid transfer to healthcare facilities.

The bike ambulances will serve 25 selected remote villages, each equipped with GPS tracking for real-time fleet management and efficient response allocation. They will be deployed in 12 villages and serve a population of 55,000 people in 10 districts like Krishnagiri, Vellore, Tiruppattur, Erode, Dharmapuri, and The Nilgiris.

Officials said the ambulances will be the first responder and help stabilize the patient till they are transported to the nearest health facility through an 108 ambulance.

The feeder or bike ambulance will take the patient from a remote area to the nearest point up to which a four-wheeler ambulance can come and is attached to a stretcher with a safety guard in place. They are also equipped with first aid equipment, drugs and surgical consumables.