Say waa? 108 ambulances help deliver nearly 1 baby/hr in Maharashtra

Maharashtra's 108 Ambulance service has broken the myth that ambulances as only emergency medical service providers. Since the service's launch four years ago, the service has helped with safe delivery of almost 20 babies, on an average, every day – either inside the ambulance or at the location of the call. That's 29,000 babies in four years!

In this year alone, 10,084 babies came into this world in Maharashtra, aided by the ambulance service. The number of such deliveries has seen a rise in rural areas.

According to the Maharashtra Emergency Medical Services (MEMS), who operate 108 Ambulances across the state, they get more labour/pregnancy-related emergency calls from rural areas at night.

"The service is significantly used in three major types of emergencies — pregnancy, trauma and general medical ailments," says Dr Dnyaneshwar Shelke, the chief operating officer of MEMS- Dial 108. "In the rural areas, the service is used more significantly for pregnancy cases at night. One of the major reason for this is its easy access, 24x7, and the long distance to hospitals in these areas."

The birth of these 29,000 'ambulance' babies was assisted by 108 doctors. "Maternal mortality rate has dropped in our state due to accessible ambulance service around the clock in rural areas," says Shelke, "Maharashtra is one of the leading states in India to see this drop."

There are a total of 937 four-wheeler 108 Ambulances in 35 districts across the state. Till November 10, 2018, the service received over 8.30 lakh calls for pregnancy-related cases.