What is 108?? How does it work??

108 is a magic number in almost 1.5 million people’s lives as per the official report in 2018. It would have been more than 2 million by now. The number itself is not magic but the people related to it are the real magicians who touch the lives of the neediest in rural and urban areas of India. This number has simply transformed itself into a life-saving option for many. Yes!! It is free to call the emergency telephone number for ambulance services.

It is established in almost 22 States & 2 Union Territories of India as per the latest report. Some of us might have even used this service in our lives. But we do not know how it operates, what are all the services it covers, how is this organization formed, who is the pioneer of 108, etc., Let us answer the first misconception - Is this service related to Medical emergency only? – No!! Absolutely not. It also covers the Fire Service & Police Service.

Though this is a Nation-wide service now, how did this service start? – It was way back on 15th August 2005, when Y.S. Rajasekhera Reddy then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh introduced this service in his State. He initiated this service in his State all-right. But who is the actual pioneer who designed this System? – It was Dr. A.P. Ranga Rao, Director of Andhra Pradesh Handicapped Department who envisioned and shared this plan with YSR. Madhya Pradesh then followed this suite four years later in July 2009 as a 108 GVK Ambulance facility.

Now how a service which was introduced in Andhra Pradesh first made Nationwide? Dr.Anbumani Ramadoss who was Union Health Minister made this service nationwide. Technically the system was designed for use by well-known tech-giant Sathyam Computers which was then acquired by Mahindra group and now known as Tech-Mahindra.

As we all think, this service is not completely Government aided. Rather we call it PPP – (Public-Private Partnership) service. In this PPP program, State government & Private EMS providers (Emergency Medical Service) offers the service for us. EMS providers we talk about offers ambulance services / paramedical services that treat urgent, serious illness, injury. EMS is also called First Aid Squad, Emergency Squad, Fast Squad, Life Saving Squad, etc.,

Now that we know what it is & how is formed, let us understand how it works.

• A Caller who is under some form of emergency dials 108 to report his emergency
• The call is routed to ERC (Emergency Response Centre). The care executive who attends this call gathers necessary information like location, nature of the emergency, & dispatches the required service (Fire engine / Ambulance / Police Assistance)
• Emergency help dispatched through this process is expected to reach the needful in an average of just 18 minutes from making the call.

Another common misconception is that 108 service just transports patients to nearby hospitals. No!! 108 ambulances are equipped with first aid kit and pre-hospital care will be given during the transit. It will be equipped with well trained medical staff and even doctors depending on the nature of patient that it transports.

There are 2 types of ambulances that 108 has at its disposal

Road Ambulance – Available in all states where 108 services are operating

Boat Ambulance – Available in islands and in few states on shore side like Odisha, Assam, and Gujarat.

Who are these Private parties engaged in PPP?

1.       ZHL (Ziqitza Health Care limited)
2.       GVK EMRI (GVK Emergency Management & Research Institute) – Tamil Nadu Service provider.
3.       BVG-UKSAS (Bharat Vikas Group India – UK Specialist Ambulance Service)

 

Do they charge for 108 Service? – No!! It is completely free for people.

Where will I be transported if I am in case of a medical emergency by 108? Will I be taken to a private hospital? – Patients should not be admitted to private hospitals unless the attendant signs the consent form available with the EMT attendant. They have to be taken to nearby government hospitals by default. Also in some cases, EMT has to call 108 and get District Program Manager (DPM)’s approval for the same. Even in some cases, the oral consent of the attendant is also recorded in the process for future reference.

“Siri Prank” – In March 2017, if we just say “108” to Siri, it would then turn command to dial the country’s emergency service. This is fixed now and if we say 108 to Siri, it will explain what the number is and will ask for our confirmation to dial it.

So finally, why 108? Why not some other number? Is it because it is some kind of sacred number of Hinduism? – When I did a google on that I got this as an answer in a few forums. It is totally wrong. Psychologically ‘1’,’0’,’8’ numbers are the focal point to the human eye in the number pad. This is found out after much research in case of an emergency.

 

 Thanks for reading !!

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