Former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam launched the Dial 108 emergency medical services in Gujarat , Wednesday. Setting a goal of saving one million lives by providing emergency medical services throughout India by 2010, Kalam was quoted: “A national programme of multi-state emergency services should be put in place for achieving the vision of saving million lives."
According to Kalam, Gujarat, which has achieved considerable success in eliminating leprosy and polio, can play a key role in realising the vision.He said alongside providing emergency medical services, research should be done into the causes behind these emergencies and structural deficiencies should be eliminated in order to bring down the loss of lives.
With this launch, the Emergency Medical Response System, evolved by the Emergency Research Institute (EMRI) in 2005, got operationalised in the state with 20 ambulances that will guarantee pre-hospital care in any emergency.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Narendra Modi said the launch marked the opening of one more significant chapter in the state's mission to provide people with the best that was available anywhere in the world.
Source-Eurekalert
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