Bhubaneswar: In a further boost to delivery of healthcare services in Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday flagged off 349 new ambulances in Bhubaneswar.
The chief minister dedicated the new ambulances to the people of the state at a function in Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. Of those, 279 ambulances have been included in 108 Ambulance services and the rest 70 have been provided to medical college and hospitals and district headquarters hospitals (DHHs).
Of the 70 ambulances, 40 are basic life support (BLS) ambulances and 30 are advanced life support (ALS) ambulances. The new ambulances have been procured at a cost of Rs 148.45 crore, according to a release from chief minister’s office (CMO) on Saturday.
With this, the fleet strength of ambulances in the state has gone up to 1,366. Now, more than 4,000 patients are provided ambulance services across the state on daily basis.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister hoped that that the new ambulances would help save human lives. “We believe that every life is precious. Our efforts will continue to provide best of health services to the people as per our policy,” he said.
Among others, Health Minister Niranjan Pujari, secretary Shalini Pandit, 5T chairman VK Pandian and other senior officers were present.
