The Hindu Business Line : Ambulance Access for All to cover whole of Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan. 4 If Ambulance Access for All’s plans work out, in two years, 24-hour life-support ambulance services will be just a phone call away in every district in Kerala.

The not-for-profit Ambulance Access for All, which launched its ‘Dial 1298 for Ambulance’ service in Ernakulam and Thrissur districts a few days ago, hopes to cover the entire State by March 2010, said Mr Shaffi Mather, CEO, Ambulance Access for All. The plan is to add ambulance coverage in two additional districts every four months.

The organisation, which first launched operations in Mumbai in May 2005, offers anytime, anywhere access to advanced, life-support ambulance services through an easy to remember four digit number (1298) in Kerala. This number can be accessed from any mobile or land phone.

In Kerala, the organisation currently operates seven ambulances equipped with intensive cardiac care units. Another 52 basic ambulances are also part of the network, Mr Mather said.

The ambulance service’s payment model is based on a user’s ability to pay and the hospital to which the patient is taken.

“The rich pays higher, the poor pays lower and the absolute poor going to a government hospital gets the service at a subsidised rate or free of charge,” he explained. “We shall review the fee structure based on the Kerala experience.”

Mr Mather believes that the ‘Dial 1298 for Ambulance’ service will work in Kerala. “We will do everything possible to make it work and help save lives which are otherwise lost only for want of timely medical attention,” he said.

For the moment, the organisation will focus on operations in Mumbai and Kerala.

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