Private ambulances to get GPS trackers

Bengaluru, 24 August 2019 [Fik/News Sources]: The Transport Department has decided to install Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking on private hospital ambulances and the move has also been approved by the Transport and Health Departments

Speaking on the issue a transport department official said that the 108 emergency medical response service that has a control room in the Health Department will be monitoring the GPS-tracked vehicles and the process to install the system in approximately 5,000 ambulances in the state may take over a year or so.

“It may take time as we have to get the work done in phases. It is not possible to get all the ambulances installed with the equipment in one go,” he added.

Meanwhile, an officer from the 108 services said, “The GPS installation was also aimed at streamlining the management of ambulances. We will be able to know if the ambulance was taken to a private hospital bypassing a government hospital.”

It may be recalled that since 2016, all government ambulances under the 108 control room had installed these trackers.