People living in some of most remote villages in the country will now have access to a dedicated ambulance service in Ladakh. The administration has launched Ladakh Sanjeevani Seva, a 24x7 ambulance service covering all 248 villages across the cold desert.
Ladakh Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena launched a fleet of 73 ambulances on Monday. Officials said the administration wants an ambulance for every village which is linked to the nearest health facility.
The initiative is seen as a major step towards access the healthcare in the remotest part of the country. In Ladakh, there are scattered habitations, long distances, high altitude, difficult terrain, and extreme cold conditions during winters which makes access to emergency healthcare challenging.
Under the Sanjeevani Seva, ambulances are positioned at an average of 13 km from the villages they serve so that people get access to ambulances without any delay.
Officials say the service is designed to respond to a wide range of emergencies and designed the deployment of ambulances accordingly.
According to Union Territory administration, the special emphasis is given to maternal health care, and advance planning has been carried out to identify expecting mothers. Following a survey, officials say more than 1100 pregnant women across Ladakh have already been entered into a centralised database.
"Health workers have conducted village to village survey to identify expecting mothers. A record of their expected dates of delivery has been compiled and also ambulance and driver assigned to their area," said an official.
The main objective of the initiative is to ensure that geographical isolation does not come in the way of access to health care. Officials say the ambulance network will specially cater to patients suffering from cancer, kidney disease, heart disease, stroke and serious lung ailments.
The administration expects the dedicated service to ease that burden by providing a predictable emergency and medical transport mechanism.
After the launched of service, Ladakh Lt Governor, VK Saxena described the initiative as a new lifeline for the people of Ladakh. He said that no citizen should be left without assistance during a medical emergency because of distance or lack of transport.
"A health system is judged not merely by its buildings, but by how quickly it reaches a mother in labour, an accident victim, or a critically ill patient in a remote village. Through Ladakh Sanjeevani Seva, we are ensuring that medical assistance reaches people when they need it most. Special attention is being given to pregnant women and critically ill patients. Our aim is simple — no person in Ladakh should be denied timely medical care because of distance or the inability to find transport," said Mr Saxena.
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