By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 12: Shillong’s first 5G-enabled ambulance service has been launched, aiming to enhance emergency medical response and pre-hospital care in the city.
This advanced ambulance is equipped to function as a mobile emergency room, delivering treatment from the moment a patient boards the vehicle.
Thanks to its 5G connectivity, medical data and live visuals from the ambulance can be instantly transmitted to the hospital’s emergency unit. This allows doctors to assess the patient’s condition in real time, issue instructions to paramedics and even initiate life-saving procedures before the patient arrives at the hospital.
The ambulance features multiple high-definition cameras, advanced monitoring systems and real-time communication tools. These are directly linked to the hospital’s command center, enabling doctors to not only see and speak to the medical team in transit but also track the ambulance’s exact location.
This helps ensure that the nearest available ambulance reaches critical patients swiftly, reducing delays during the crucial ‘Golden Hour’.
Vital signs and telemetry data are continuously relayed to hospital specialists, who can then guide on-ground staff to administer medication or begin interventions such as CPR or oxygen support. This system not only speeds up decision-making but also allows hospital teams to prepare in advance for the patient’s arrival.
The 5G-enabled ambulance service has been introduced by the Apollo Trinity Medical Centre.
Officials at Apollo Trinity Medical Centre confirmed that the service will be accessible to anyone in the state capital through a four-digit helpline, although it will be chargeable.
“It’s not limited to Apollo patients. Anyone in the city can request the ambulance when needed,” said Debapriya Deb, CEO of Apollo Trinity Medical Centre, Shillong.
It may be mentioned that the initiative follows successful rollouts of similar ambulances in other Indian cities such as Kolkata and Guwahati, where the technology has already demonstrated its effectiveness.
“The goal is to provide seamless, high-quality care starting from the ambulance itself,” said Vishal Agarwal, Marketing Head of Apollo Multispecialty Hospitals, Guwahati.