Bike ambulance services to be launched in October

At least 50 bike ambulances will hit the roads in the city by the first week of October, to provide first aid to those in need.

Though the initial plan by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) was to launch 100 such vehicles, due to budgetary constraints, there is a modification in the plan. “We want to establish a well-equipped control room to monitor the entire programme. The control room will receive complaints and despatch bikes to the designated place,” said Mujahid Pasha, chairman, the standing committee of public health, BBMP.

The BBMP budget has allocated Rs 2 crore for this project this year. “There are three parts to consider before venturing into this: purchasing vehicles, their maintenance and also the technical expertise. We are focusing on providing proper technical support for the programme, based on which we can increase in the number of bikes eventually,” said Pasha. A helpline number will be set up to help people to register their complaints first, he added.

Meanwhile, Dr Balasundar, a senior health officer with the BBMP said that the civic body will co-ordinate with the traffic police to identify accident spots and highly congested places so that they can deploy more vehicles there.

He also said the personnel deployed for this service will be trained in paramedics and will be provided with GPS to help them reach to the spot easily.

“The aim is to reach out to the patient within the first hour of the injury. This is known as the ‘Golden Hour’ especially in treatment related to heart,” he said.

Emergency service

Bike Ambulance: Medical or first aid services on two-wheelers for those who are injured in accidents or are suffering from any other ailment. This is a project to provide first aid immediately for those who are in need, and these ambulances will reach the patient faster than the regular ambulance.