Maharashtra plans air ambulance service on three accident-prone highways
Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik says air ambulances will cover the Samruddhi, Mumbai-Pune and Mumbai-Goa highways from early 2027 to help in the golden hour.
The Maharashtra government plans to start an air ambulance service on three major highways from the beginning of next year, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said on Tuesday, according to The Indian Express. The service will cover the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Highway, the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the Mumbai-Goa Highway.
The aim is to get road accident victims to a trauma care centre within the "golden hour", the critical first hour after a crash. Sarnaik said the state records nearly 15,000 road accidents every year.
Timeline given by the minister
- Certified procedures for the projects to be prepared and approved by November 15.
- Approval from the high-powered committee by the end of November, followed by the tender process.
- Service to begin at the start of the new year.
The plan also includes setting up a network of trauma centres, empanelling service providers and standardising response protocols across agencies. Standard operating procedures will be developed jointly by the transport, health and police departments. Mid-Day also reported the plan.
Why it matters for ambulance owners and drivers
Road ambulances will still be needed to carry patients between accident sites, helipads and hospitals, so the planned response protocols may affect how ground crews coordinate with air services.
Read the full report at the source: The Indian Express
This is a summary written by the Ambulance Owner Association. The facts are from the source named above.