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Not just any other bike ambulance
AmbuPod can ferry patients, paramedics, has diagnostic devices
Bike ambulances quickly reach patients in emergencies. But a modified bike ambulance designed by Dr Lavanian Dorairaj from Pune does much more.
The bike ambulance is among the primary attractions at the medical devices exhibition that is part of the three-day India Pharma and India Medical Device 2017 which kicked off in the city on Saturday.
Called AmbuPod, it is essentially an extension to a bike ambulance. It can not only reach patients quickly but also accommodate a paramedic. AmbuPod comes with a stretcher and has sufficient space to accommodate a paramedic while the driver can steer the bike.
The ambulance carries makeshift pocket-sized devices that are essential for diagnosis and test during emergencies. Among these are a hand-held ECG, an oximeter, an ambu bag, a suction cup and a doppler.
Besides attending to emergencies such as road accidents, the bike ambulance can also be used to take pregnant women to institutional set-ups for childbirth.
Dorairaj said he thought of devising such an ambulance after serving in the Indian Air Force in rural areas. “I could see the challenges faced by people in villages. I wanted to do something to address this problem,” he said.
Dorairaj took nearly four years to design the ambulance and develop the prototype with the help of engineers.
“I have spent my entire pension on this project. It’s a labour of love,” he said. He is looking at CSR funds or government support to make the ambulance commercially viable.
Telemedicine
The ambulance can also be used as a makeshift OPD clinic in rural areas. “The doctor-patient ratio in India is poor. According to some government reports, there are just 24,000 primary health centres for six lakh villages,” Dorairaj said.
The bike ambulance can be stationed in a place where a paramedic or trained person can operate the equipment and send data to doctors in tertiary care hospitals. This will help address the shortage of manpower, he said.
The bike ambulance is among the primary attractions at the medical devices exhibition that is part of the three-day India Pharma and India Medical Device 2017 which kicked off in the city on Saturday.
Called AmbuPod, it is essentially an extension to a bike ambulance. It can not only reach patients quickly but also accommodate a paramedic. AmbuPod comes with a stretcher and has sufficient space to accommodate a paramedic while the driver can steer the bike.
The ambulance carries makeshift pocket-sized devices that are essential for diagnosis and test during emergencies. Among these are a hand-held ECG, an oximeter, an ambu bag, a suction cup and a doppler.
Besides attending to emergencies such as road accidents, the bike ambulance can also be used to take pregnant women to institutional set-ups for childbirth.
Dorairaj said he thought of devising such an ambulance after serving in the Indian Air Force in rural areas. “I could see the challenges faced by people in villages. I wanted to do something to address this problem,” he said.
Dorairaj took nearly four years to design the ambulance and develop the prototype with the help of engineers.
“I have spent my entire pension on this project. It’s a labour of love,” he said. He is looking at CSR funds or government support to make the ambulance commercially viable.
Telemedicine
The ambulance can also be used as a makeshift OPD clinic in rural areas. “The doctor-patient ratio in India is poor. According to some government reports, there are just 24,000 primary health centres for six lakh villages,” Dorairaj said.
The bike ambulance can be stationed in a place where a paramedic or trained person can operate the equipment and send data to doctors in tertiary care hospitals. This will help address the shortage of manpower, he said.
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(Published 11 February 2017, 20:45 IST)
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