Ambulance Services in India - Are the Sirens Loud Enough!

Abstract

Background: Ambulances are the lifeline between life and death and play a critical role in pre-hospital
emergency medical care in transporting patients to health facilities within the golden hour. In India
approximately, 24,012 people die every day because of delays in getting medical assistance on time. During
the COVID-19 pandemic, issues of unavailability of ambulances, not coming on time, being understaffed, and
overcharging have been highlighted in the media. The Indian Government developed the National Ambulance
Code to standardize the constructional and functional requirements of road ambulances. The existing
regulations fall short on many fronts with regard to accountability for patient care and safety, ensuring an
ambulance reaches on time equipped with facilities, life saving medicines, trained personnel and fixing rates
among others. The government has implemented schemes to improve ambulance services; however, there is a
critical need to review the existing regulations and implementation to provide timely care to save lives.