39,697 people availed of emergency ambulance service in Maha

Nearly 40,000 people have availed of the services of Maharashtra Emergency Medical Services, five months after it was launched.
"39,697 people availed of the emergency ambulance service in Maharashtra since its launch in January. Of the 937 ambulances sanctioned, 786 are operational," a spokesperson for Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said.
Chavan had launched the service on January 26 this year to provide 24X7 emergency ambulance facility across the state. It has been of help in saving lives and assisting those in need of emergency medical aid.
The service is a free pre-hospital emergency medical service to citizens across the state. People, in need of medical attention, can dial toll free number 108 from any mobile or landline number.

The objective is to reduce mortality and morbidity caused by road accidents and other medical emergencies where people die or suffer disability due to delay in treatment.
Medical emergencies include road accidents, natural calamities, epidemic, serious illnesses and allied problems, besides situations related to pregnancy and neo-natal care.
Conceptualised after the Mumbai serial blasts in 2006 and cleared by the state cabinet in October 2008, the service has a 24X7 call centre and a fleet of life-support ambulances to cater to emergency medical needs of the state's rural and urban population.