Ambulance Services and GPS

The time taken for responding to a call made on 102 requesting for urgent medical support and ambulance service, can make the difference between life and death.  To get to the point of distress as quick as possible, the ambulance crew needs to know exactly where they are needed and the quickest possible way / route to get there.  They need to know the shortest and the least congested route and the closest hospital capable of handling the needs of the patient.

The one technology offered in our increasingly wired world of the 21^st century which enables us to face these challenges is GPS. A GPS enabled device fitted in an ambulance is not only capable of directing the ambulance driver and crew to the location from where the stress call has been made but would even demarcate the shortest route to their destination.

A costumed GPS device with the correct uploaded information can recognize the closest medical facilities available for the patient. Further, it can advice the ambulance crew with the detailed capabilities of different hospitals and clinics allowing them to choose the medical institution capable of providing appropriate services to the patient.

One manner in which GPS can be of great advantage for ambulance services is fleet management. A fully functional GPS system can provide a minute to minute update of the location of every ambulance back to the base or the control center. This allows better surveillance of the fleet and makes it possible to keep a close watch over each and every ambulance out in the field. With the help of GPS the center can keep the caller informed with the progress of the ambulance, easing the stressful anxious situation most people find themselves in whenever an emergency call is made.

Slowly but steadily the number of GPS enabled Ambulances is growing in India. It’s unfortunate that enormous cost of the complete adoption of GPS by ambulance services acts to slow down the overall application of GPS in this field. Still, steps are being taken at local levels to integrate the GPS technology in our ambulance fleets.

The Red Cross Health Department in Panchkula district updated there fleet with 18 GPS enabled Ambulances in November 2009. The same was done in Nagpur with 30 Ambulances in May 2009 by NMC.  The Bihar government initiated a pilot project with 10 Ambulances in June 2009 to state only a few examples. Although progress is being made, the majority of our Ambulances still don’t have GPS on board, especially in small towns and rural India.

Article Posted By : Sanjeev Walia Sanjeev Walia is an executive working for SatNav, pioneers of India, first car GPS navigationsystem. SatNav has launched a locator softwarethat enables us to locate people important to us. It is in Beta Testing stage right now.