Maharashtra to track all ambulances live under new state policy
The Maharashtra government will soon introduce a state ambulance policy aimed at making emergency medical transport more efficient and accountable, with every registered ambulance brought
The Maharashtra government will soon introduce a state ambulance policy aimed at making emergency medical transport more efficient and accountable, with every registered ambulance brought under real-time digital monitoring, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said on Saturday. The proposed Maharashtra State Ambulance Policy seeks to streamline the ambulance system from registration and dispatch to response time, fare regulation and hospital integration. Sarnaik said ambulances are not merely transport vehicles but critical life-saving services during medical emergencies, making it necessary to regulate operations and improve service standards across the state. Read Full Story According to the minister, around 1,076 ambulances are currently operating under the state’s new MEMS-108 public-private partnership project, while an estimated 4,500 to 5,000 ambulances are being run by private hospitals, charitable organisations and non-governmental organisations.
However, there is no unified system to give citizens reliable information on ambulance location, availability, estimated response time, onboard medical facilities or fare structure, he said. To address this, the government has proposed an integrated digital platform with four separate applications for citizens, ambulance drivers, ambulance-mounted tablets, and government authorities including the Regional Transport Office and the health department. The citizen app will allow users to locate the nearest available ambulance, track its live location and estimated arrival time, receive preliminary guidance through video calls, and check the estimated fare before booking. The driver app will include duty status, acceptance or rejection of emergency calls, navigation, training records and performance monitoring. Tablet computers installed in ambulances will allow paramedics to record patient details, vital signs and treatment provided, stay in video contact with hospitals, and monitor essential equipment such as oxygen units, suction devices and automated external defibrillators.
The RTO and health department will have access to a central dashboard showing the real-time location and operational status of every registered ambulance, response times, driver performance, repeated call rejections and suspected misuse. To check arbitrary pricing by private operators, every registered ambulance will be required to display its fare chart on the app. The government will notify maximum fares based on the AIS-125 ambulance classification, while citizens will be able to see the estimated fare before using the service. Every trip will also generate a digital record and an electronic receipt. Sarnaik said ambulances already enjoy exemptions from motor vehicle tax and are entitled to toll concessions on national highways under existing rules, and that citizens should therefore receive affordable, transparent and accountable services in return.
The BriefWire