The health department has launched two bike ambulances to provide free ambulance services to pregnant women in inaccessible areas. Kalahandi district collector P. Anwesha Reddy inaugurated this yesterday in Bhawanipatna.
These will help in transporting pregnant women as well as other emergency cases and will improve institutional deliveries as well as reduce mortality.
The ambulances will function in a public-private partnership under special central assistance. As per the sources, the project cost is Rs 15 lakh each for five years.
These services will be deployed in M.Rampur PHC run by Mercy Foundation, Bhawanipatna and in Biswanathpur PHC run by the Brundaban Cultural Society.
District Medical Officer-in-Charge Dr Man Majhi, DPH Dr Rakesh Sahu, DPM Abani Ranjan Mahapatra, Epidemiologist Nihar Ranjan Thakur, BSA President Sushant Mahapatra, Head of Mercy Foundation, Editor Akshay Das were present during the event.