A race against time: how 108 staffers go the extra mile to help people in need

“Don’t worry, the ambulance is on its way to your location. I can see it heading towards you. It will arrive soon and take your loved one to a hospital,” says a 108 executive, comforting a caller in need of emergency medical aid, at the 108 call centre in Mangalagiri on Wednesday.

Thousands of people who dial 108, the State’s Emergency Management Service (EMS) helpline, seeking emergency medical aid are assured of help in a similar manner by the executives as ambulances are dispatched to the caller’s location in minutes.

All the calls dialled from across the State reach the call centre run from the APIIC Tower in Mangalagiri by the Health Department.

While the call centre, manned by over 110 executives in three shifts round the clock, receives nearly two lakh calls, including a huge number of blank calls and repeated calls every month, the 108 ambulances attend to around one lakh cases and provide emergency services from first aid to childbirth on board and shifting of the patients to nearby medical facilities.

The call centre ensures precise coordination between 748 ambulances, 1,733 emergency medical technicians, 1,811 pilots, GPS tracking devices and technology, thus helping deliver an efficient 24×7 emergency healthcare service to people across the State.

Even though the 108 system serves thousands of people every day and has inspired other States in the country to set up similar systems, there is still a lot more to be achieved in terms of response time and live tracking of the fleet.

The average response time (ART) of the 108 service in rural areas was between 15 to 20 minutes in the past four months against the benchmark ART of 15 minutes. In urban areas, it was between 18 and 21 minutes during the same period against the benchmark ART of 20 minutes. In tribal areas, the ART was 26 to 34 minutes in the past four months. The benchmark ART for tribal areas is 30 minutes.

The average response time has improved manifold in the recent past when compared to years ago. In the past, the ART in rural areas used to be 28 minutes while that in urban areas used to be 16 minutes, according to a study done by PGIMER, Chandigarh.

“There is always scope for improvement in the emergency ambulance services. Andhra Pradesh has been at the forefront of providing the service. However, the response time in urban areas can be reduced and steps such as replacing the old vehicles are being taken by the government,” said M.N. Harendhira Prasad, CEO of Dr. YSR Aarogyasri Health Care Trust and head of the 108 and 104 services.

Mr. Harendhira said that there is a need to bring down the number of call drops for which necessary steps are being taken.

He said there are 336 old vehicles in the fleet of which 184 vehicles have clocked more than three lakh kilometres. These vehicles would be replaced soon, he said. All vehicles are fitted with GPS devices, but 15% of them were not functional, he said, adding that they would all be fixed soon to ensure better tracking of the vehicles in real-time.

Mr. Harendhira said that EMTs helped deliver 331 babies on board 108 vehicles in the past four months since July across the State, and saved the lives of several mothers and infants during emergencies.

He said a majority of the cases attended to by the 108 vehicles were also related to pregnant women. Of the 3.76 lakh cases in the past four months, pregnant women accounted for 18% of the cases, he said.

“There is no possibility of emergency cases not being attended to. There might be a delay in some cases due to various factors but they will be attended to,” he said when asked about complaints against the service from the public.

The maintenance of the vehicles including employment of the EMTs and drivers and daily expenses is taken care of by the company which operates the service and the government pays a monthly fee per vehicle. The operator was recently pulled up by Health, Medical and Family Welfare Principal Secretary M.T. Krishna Babu regarding the lapses in maintenance of GPS devices.