SHILLONG: The Wheels of Hope has always been in the forefront of action in handling emergency cases.
The service launched in PPP (Private Public Partnership) mode by the State Government in collaboration with GVK EMRI on February 2, 2009, entered its 6th year of providing emergency care to the people of Meghalaya on Sunday.
With 47 ambulances in 42 locations, the 108 emergency service is operational across all the 11 districts of the State and the present trend of attending to emergency calls at the ERC (Emergency Response Centre), stands at one call every one-and-half minute, handling one emergency every 24 minutes and attending on site one emergency every 31 minutes.
Functional 24 hours for the past six years, GVK EMRI – Meghalaya operations has attended to 1, 09, 508 emergencies cases and saved over 11, 500 lives.
According to GVK EMRI, pregnancy related cases top the emergencies handled in the state accounting to 29% of all emergencies and a total of 982 deliveries have been conducted safely by the EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) inside the 108 ambulances.
GVK EMRI -Meghalaya in collaboration with National Health Mission had also started the Mother and Child Tracking Centre (MCTS) in the State on July 3 last with the objective of tracking all pregnant women in the State and advising them on institutional delivery.
A year after the project was made operational, the MCTS team has communicated with 6, 800 expecting mothers and 1925 ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife).
It may be mentioned that former president of India and Chairman Emeritus of GVK EMRI, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, during his visit to the 108 Office in Shillong on June 24, 2013 wrote, “Delighted to visit GVK EMRI 108, an excellent contribution to the people in pain” in the guestbook.
