Jammu, Mar 25: The 108/102 Jammu & Kashmir Emergency Medical Services (JKEMS) has marked five years of operations, having provided emergency medical assistance to over 3.76 lakh patients across the Union Territory.
Launched on March 24, 2020, under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the National Health Mission and BVG India Ltd, the 24×7 free ambulance service started with 416 ambulances, later expanding to 489 ambulances, including 139 Advanced Life Support (ALS), 64 Basic Life Support (BLS), and 286 Patient Transport ambulances.
The Emergency Response Centre, based in Channi Himmat, Jammu, has handled,1,88,939 medical emergencies,17,461 road accident cases,1,03,509 pregnancy-related cases,1,261 childbirths inside ambulances or at the scene,12,111 COVID-19 patient transfers.
A BVG India Ltd report revealed that one emergency is attended every eight minutes.
Despite challenging terrain, the average response time stands at 12 minutes 41 seconds in urban areas and 18 minutes 19 seconds in rural areas.
Mushtaq Ahmed, Project Head, said all ambulances are equipped with lifesaving medical facilities and staffed by trained Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). Urging people to use the free emergency service, he assured that every call is treated with urgency.
Since its inception, 108/102 JKEMS has played a crucial role in saving lives, particularly in high-risk areas prone to accidents and mass casualty incidents.