Visakhapatnam: Patients from difficult terrains, like from many hilltop Adivasi villages in Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district, find it very difficult to reach the nearest hospital, particularly during emergencies. Fellowmen have to carry them on beds or chairs tied to wooden poles till the nearest motorable road, from where 108 ambulances take them to the hospital.To avoid the delay due to humans carrying the patients on shoulders, the previous Telugu Desam government proposed bike ambulances, which could negotiate the pathways in forest and hilly terrains. The bike ambulances could reach the nearest road quicker than humans carrying chairs or beds would. A 108 ambulance would then take over. Alternatively, if the patient is not too ill, the bike ambulance itself could take the patient to the hospital.Bike ambulances had been launched state-wide on April 20, 2018. The then state government initially made available 42 feeder bike ambulances for Paderu ITDA region, 24 for Parvathipuram, 22 for Rampachodavaram, 15 for Seethampet, eight for K.R. Puram and six each for Srisailam and Chintoor ITDA regions.From January to November this year, 20,096 individuals across the ASR district have received emergency services through these feeder bike ambulances, 40 per cent of them pregnant women.However, these bike ambulances face challenges in reaching areas where the terrain is more difficult. The bikes do not have the power to climb up certain areas.Interacting with Deccan Chronicle, ASR district medical and health officer (DMHO) Jamal Basha disclosed that they have proposed Bullet bike ambulances, which have more power, for reaching villages in more difficult areas, like hilltop villages. This would make the emergency bike medical services smoother. The proposal has not yet received approval yet.ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwives) too have advocated the need for Bullet bike ambulances, particularly to reach the tougher tribal terrains.
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