Jharkhand floats boat ambulances for remote areas

RANCHI:  After launching the country’s first air ambulance service on April 28 this year, Jharkhand is set to introduce speed-boat ambulance service. The free-of-cost speed-boat ambulance service will be launched at Sahibganj and will cater the requirement of over 2.5 lakh people living in the district. According to officials, Jharkhand is the first to introduce boat ambulance service in the country.

Ram Niwas Yadav, Sahibganj, Deputy Commissioner, informed that during the monsoon season some of the panchayats of Diara and Udhwa region get inundated with water and timely transportation of patients to health centres becomes difficult. With the free boat ambulance services, the aim is to provide quick, safe and better medical facility in the region.

“This is a completely free service for anybody who wants to avail it and we have made all the arrangements, like fuel and medical facilities and boat staff in advance,” the DC said.
“Traditional boats take a lot of time to transport patients, but these speed-boats with double engines will help in quick and safe transportation. One driver and two trained medical staff will also be present for patient care,” said Yadav.

As of now, two boat ambulances have been procured from a Gujarat based company under the District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT), each costing Rs 29.17 lakh, he added. The DC further added that it will be a boon for the two panchayats located on the other side of river Ganga as it was difficult to carry patients to this side.

It will also be beneficial for those who want to take their ailing family members to the medical center located at Purnia in Bihar and Malda in West Bengal, located on the other side of the river, he said.
The boat ambulances are GPS enabled along with sensors to alert about the presence of any other boat in its periphery, he added.

Hailing the decision, Sahibganj Civil Surgeon Dr Ramdeo Paswan said, “The boat ambulance will have all modern facilities like first aid, ECG, oxygen inhaler, flow meter etc. Locals also praised the decision saying that if it works properly, a major hurdle in the transportation of patients will be solved.

“Being a backward district, there is literally no medical facility available in the region, except AIIMS Deoghar, but since the area is inundated in water for most of the time, it becomes difficult for us to transport the patients to the hospital on time.  It is a great initiative taken by the government and will prove to be a boon for the people in Diara and Udhwa regions in Sahibganj,” said a local resident Praveen Kumar.