Ahmedabad: On Saturday, EMRI 108 emergency services completed 19 years of operations in Gujarat. So far, the services have attended to 1.96 crore calls, about 32 lakh of which were recorded in Ahmedabad, according to EMRI officials.“One of the highest shares of emergencies is related to vehicular trauma or road traffic accidents at 3.92 lakh, followed by pregnancy-related calls (3.61 lakh), breathing problems (2.99 lakh), and cardiac emergencies (2.52 lakh),” said a senior EMRI official.The official added, “Seasonal calls include those about high fever and abdominal pain. About 3.71 lakh lives were saved in critical situations with timely intervention.”Jashvant Prajapati, COO of EMRI services in Gujarat, said that the initiative began with 14 ambulances in 2007, and now has 1,493.“The average response time of the services is 13 minutes: 9.48 minutes in urban areas and 16.24 minutes in rural areas,” Prajapati said. “On average, about one ambulance is dispatched every four seconds in the state.”He thanked citizens for the response and appealed to them to use the services wisely.The 108 services are now integrated with the 112 emergency response number, through which citizens can also reach children’s helpline, women’s helpline, animal helpline, and traffic helpline.The state has activated air ambulance and boat ambulance services in association with EMRI, said officials.Public health experts said the data generated from the services serves as an important indicator of disease hotspots and issues such as road safety.“The data also serves as an early warning system, showing a concentration of cases and the nature of illness,” a public health expert said. “Coordination with govt hospitals can help provide early interventions, especially in rural or interior areas.”The expert added, “The impact of emergency health services can be seen in facets such as reduced infant mortality and lives saved in the golden hour after cardiac problems or strokes.”
