CTC Sanjeevini to raise funds

Comprehensive Trauma Consortium (CTC) Sanjeevini, an emergency medical response service for victims of road accidents in Bangalore, is finding the going touch due to spiralling operational costs.

In order to remain operational, CTC Sanjeevini, which claims to have saved the lives of at least 45,000 accident victims, plans to introduce more technology. And for this, it is holding an event in Bangalore to raise funds.

The project, launched in 2000, now has 45 dedicated ambulances.

"It costs Rs 40,000 per ambulance per month to maintain, including the salaries of the drivers and the paramedics. These come mostly from corporate sponsors and donations," said Dr N K Venkataramana, founding managing trustee, CTC, and head of department, neurosurgery, Manipal Hospital.

The ambulances are parked on the Bangalore-Mysore state highway, Bangalore-Mangalore National Highway and Bangalore-Tirupati road.

When a call is made to the single access number 1062, a CTC Sanjeevini ambulance is dispatched to the location along with a trained paramedic to render immediate first aid. The victim is then taken to the nearest CTC-accredited hospital.