Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Credit: PTI
New Delhi: Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said that to ensure quick help for highway accident victims, the Centre plans to provide states with modern ambulances with the condition that these vehicles must reach accident spots within 10 minutes.
Replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, he said "We have decided to have MoUs with states on a kilometre basis, wherein we will provide good quality ambulances to each state. But, our condition will be that ambulances must reach accident spots within 10 minutes".
"We have told states to have the same helpline number for ambulance service," he said, adding that the Centre is ready to provide 100-150 ambulances that they can operate in their systems.
Gadkari agreed that the ambulance should reach the accident sites within 10 minutes. He cited a study by IIM, which found that the lives of 50,000 people could have been saved had they received immediate and timely medical treatment.
Gadkari said the ambulances will now also have special tools to evacuate people from accident spots.