Bhubaneswar: The state Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Wednesday approved continuation of the Emergency Medical Ambulance Service (EMAS) from 2023–24 to 2027–28, official sources said.
The EMAS, a joint initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the state government under the banner of the ‘National Ambulance Service’, has been operational in Odisha since March 5, 2013. The 108 Emergency Medical Ambulance Service has served as a lifeline for the people of Odisha.
Under this initiative, provision has been made for the delivery of comprehensive pre-hospital emergency medical services through a fleet of ambulances free of cost for the residents of Odisha. The EMAS-108 service is managed and monitored through a centralised and 24×7 integrated call centre with 150 seats. Phase-II of the scheme will be implemented over five years, from 2023–24 to 2027–28, with an estimated 11–12 lakh emergency cases (including pregnant women and children) to be transported annually by EMAS-108 ambulances to designated public health facilities within a targeted response time of 20 minutes.
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The current EMAS-108 fleet in the state comprises 866 ambulances, including 411 Advanced Life Support (ALS), 449 Basic Life Support (BLS), and six boat ambulances. The EMAS-108 ambulance service is managed by a private partner agency. A total of Rs 2398.45 crore has been provisioned for the scheme for a period of five years from 2023-24 to 2027-28, according to Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, who briefed the media following the Cabinet meeting.
