Bhubaneswar: Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling informed the Odisha Assembly today that the state currently has 860 operational 108 ambulances, comprising 411 Advanced Life Support (ALS) and 449 Basic Life Support (BLS) vehicles.
The update came in response to a question raised by Balasore MLA Manas Kumar Dutta, who had sought district-wise details of ambulance availability, the number of new ambulances planned, and specific data for Balasore district, including issues related to referral cases to SCB Medical College and Hospital.
The Health Minister said that a proposal to replace 421 ambulances has been approved, and orders for procurement have already been placed.
Detailing the status in Balasore, Mahaling stated that the district has 61 ambulances, of which 15 are ALS and 46 are BLS. To strengthen emergency medical access, 21 ambulances (7 ALS and 14 BLS) have been deployed within a 30-km radius of the Balasore District Headquarters Hospital (DHH). Additionally, one ALS and one BLS ambulance are stationed at the DHH itself.
The Minister added that these measures are aimed at addressing complaints of ambulance unavailability, particularly for critical SCB referral cases.
