‘Bike ambulances’ launched in Tamil Nadu to bridge last-mile healthcare gaps

After several incidents of death among people living in remote and hilly areas, it was decided to launch ‘bike ambulances’ based on the report of poor healthcare access in such areas.

With a focus to improve health care facility in tribal and hard-to reach remote areas, the Tamil Nadu government on Thursday notified the launch of 25 ‘Bike Ambulances’ in 10 districts to bridge the last-mile healthcare gaps.

The 25 bike ambulances, which will be obtained at a cost of Rs 1.60 crore, will act as feeder units to the existing 108 ambulance network of 1,353 vehicles across the state. They will offer first-responder emergency services, prompt transport to higher-level medical care and patient stabilisation.

Cases where pregnant women were carried by men for kilometers together from hilly terrain have also been reported in the past. Though over 20 ambulance vehicles are at service for tribal villages, challenges still keep on due to the lack of all-weather roads and narrow pathways as patients risk their lives to reach the nearest healthcare facility, sometimes with overcritical delays, senior government officials mentioned.

“This initiative targets timely medical care for underserved communities in rugged regions with limited transportation infrastructure, where conventional ambulance services face challenges,” Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary (Health & Family Welfare), said.

The ambulance will offer maternal and child health services like labour, support for antenatal care, safe delivery transport, and child health check-ups, besides being equipped to take care of medical and accidental disaster, and enabling rapid transfer to healthcare provisions.

The bike ambulances will be at work to serve 25 selected remote villages, each equipped with GPS tracking for real-time fleet management and well-planned response allocation. They will be deployed in 12 villages and serve a population of 55,000 people in 10 districts like Vellore, Krishnagiri, Erode, Tiruppattur, Dharmapuri, and The Nilgiris.

Officials mentioned the ambulances will be the first responder and support strengthen the patient till they are transported to the nearest health provisons through a 108 ambulance. The bike ambulance will take the patient from a remote area to the nearest point up to which a four-wheeler ambulance.