Odisha: Boat ambulance service launched for patients from remote areas
The Odisha government has launched a boat ambulance service at a cost of Rs. 5.40 crore to ferry patients to hospitals in remote areas. Six boat ambulances, being added to the road fleet, for now, will be part of the '108' ambulance service. Two boat ambulances each have been sanctioned for Malkangiri and Kendrapara districts, and one each for Koraput and Kalahandi. Here's more.
Service includes 6 boat ambulances and 60 jetties with walkway
While the first such boat ambulance was introduced at Batighar under Mahakalpada tehsil, Kendrapara district yesterday, the rest will be made operational in a phased manner, said a senior official. The service includes six boat ambulances and 60 jetties with walkway. The operational cost of the ambulances is estimated to be around Rs. 90 lakh per annum.
Facility to become 'vessel of hope' for people of remote-areas
The new facility will become a sort of a 'vessel of hope' for people living in numerous far-flung, river-locked pockets of Odisha, said official. In Kendrapara, another boat ambulance will be deployed for Jamboo under Mahakalada tehsil. This service will cater to the needs of people in areas where the '108' ambulance-service has failed to make headway, due to lack of proper road route.
