For the first time, the Election Commission has decided to provide ambulance services near polling booths to cater to the needs of polling personnel and voters for the May 12 Assembly elections.

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Karnataka, along with the Department of Health and Family Services, have asked government and private hospitals for providing ambulances. There are around 650 ambulances of 108 service in the state of which 70 are in Bengaluru city. The District Health officer of Bengaluru Urban has sought nine ambulances to be provided in the city at designated locations for 10,000 polling booths in city.

Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh, Additional Chief Electoral Officer, said though health services were provided in previous elections too, this time the facilities are more streamlined. “The state health department has come forward to bear the expenses of polling officers as cost was a factor previously. Treatment in government hospitals will be cashless and charges at private hospital will be reimbursed by the state government. We will have ambulances, wheelchairs to cater to the emergency needs of all those who would be participating in the election process,” he added.

Ghosh said that not just polling personnel, but the healthcare services have been extended even to the security forces who have been housed in the state at different locations. The district and taluk health officers will have to ensure that contact numbers of doctors and locations of ambulance staff and hospitals are given to these security force personnel, he added.

The ambulances will have doctors, paramedic staff and nurses on board and would be stationed at polling booths to cater to any emergency health needs said M V Savithri, health commissioner.