Team Herald
PANJIM: Getting medical help may get faster with all GVK-EMRI ‘108’ ambulances to be equipped with global positioning systems (GPS) by this month-end. The State government also intends to launch the ‘108’ service app, which will enable people to track the movement of the ambulance.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane announced this initiative, which he believes will help increase the response time in a medical emergency.
“Government has sanctioned revised assistance to 108 ambulance service. By this month-end, all the ambulances would be fitted with GPS. This will help us know where the ambulances are, what speed they are moving at and which cluster of hospital they have by-passed. Each and every detail will be on a dashboard in the head office of 108,” Rane said adding, ‘We are soon going to launch the 108 service app, which will help public to track the movement’.
The minister said there are currently 40 ambulances operating and the government has procured 10 more while sanction for another six is in the pipeline. “Soon, we will have 16 ‘108’ ambulances and 20 two-wheeler ambulances running,” he said informing that the government has set a target to have at least 40 ‘108’ service operational on road.
In a bid to have a system wherein patients can have online appointments and get their reports online, the government intends to put in place a proper Hospital Management System for GMC as well as for Directorate of Health Services.
Further, to start superspeciality courses at GMC, Government has re-designated consultants in the departments. The minister said that by re-designating existing consultants in superspeciality departments, the GMC will have 21 additional resident doctors in various superspecialities.
The courses are being launched in the departments of Urology (2MCh seats), Cardiology (2DM seats), Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (1 MCh seat), Cardiac Anesthesi (1PDCC seat) and Endocrinology (1 DM seat).
“This decision is taken with retrospective effect, so that currently doctors who are working get benefit of the number of the services they have already put in,” Rane said. “Over the next three years, GMC will be on lines with KEM where we will have teaching set up which will be recognized by Medical Council of India and we will have supespecialities available for students studying in GMC,” he added.
Rane said the idea is to strengthen GMC and make it a premium health teaching institute. “Chief Minister, who is constantly monitoring the functioning of GMC, is of the view that we need to work harder to streamline every activity at the college,” he said.
