Maharashtra government to start water boat ambulance service in city

To improve health services in the state, the Maharashtra government is planning to start a water boat ambulance service between the Gateway of India and Alibaug in the neighbouring Raigad district. The move comes after the state is set to launch the motorbike ambulance service in the city from July.

Health minister Deepak Sawant on Friday told the state Legislative Council, “The water boat ambulance has been started on a trial basis in the Nar-Par river basin in the Nandurbar district. We are also planning to start it in Tapola lake at Mahabaleshwar and Pranhita river in the Gadchiroli district.”

As part of various measures to be undertaken to improve health services in the state, motorbike ambulance service will also be introduced in Mumbai on the lines of London city, said Mr Sawant.

The motorbike ambulance, which a paramedic will ride, will be equipped with a medical emergency kit with 18 types of medicines. It will be started with an aim to provide medicare within 10 minutes, instead of the golden hour, he added.

These motorbikes can be hired by using the same toll-free number (108) used by existing EMS ambulance service. In last three years, 7.28 lakh people used the ambulance service by dialling the number, said the health minister.

Mr Sawant also announced that the government would soon start biometric attendance for doctors and nurses in government hospitals. “The government also intends to start referral audit system for doctors at district hospitals so they can be questioned about why the cases have been referred to private hospitals,” he said.

The minister said the government is also mulling expanding the scope of Rajeev Gandhi Jeevandayee Arogya Yojana from October to include procedures like hip joint replacement, knee joint replacement, inserting stents and snakebites.