~ 30 Life support ambulances given to districts health facilities to strengthen health infrastructure ~

New Delhi: Looking at the critical need for access to emergency health care in remote and rural areas especially post COVID19, Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC), in collaboration with Save the Children India, has handed over 30 life-support ambulances to government health care facilities in 10 states across India. These life support ambulances were donated to the Health Department for Community & Primary Health Centres and Taluk level hospitals across districts in the 10 states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Telangana.

These 30 patient transport ambulances are fitted with life support equipment to check vital signs and defibrillators to stabilize patients in transit. These will strengthen critical care for difficult-to-access and remote locations around each of the district hospitals that are being provided these ambulances.

Speaking on the occasion, Amitabh Ray, MD, Ericsson India Global Services states,” The Life support ambulances that we are providing to the Community Health care centers and district level hospitals across the 10 states in the country, we hope will provide care to patients during transit and enable them to access healthcare services on time. This initiative from Ericsson will serve to boost the healthcare infrastructure in these states.”

Anindit Roy Chowdhury, Chief Programmes Officer, Save the Children expressed, “After the second wave of COVID-19 hit India, health departments have seen a greater need to improve infrastructure so that those living in remote locations and most marginalized communities also get access to modern health facilities. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a massive and sustained impact on the health service, with many sectors still struggling to recover. But of all the areas affected, the ambulance service appears to be extremely challenged. Save the Children is happy to partner with Ericsson to strengthen the health systems for marginalized communities by providing this equipment”.

To serve the needs of critically ill children in the age group 0-12 years, Ericsson and Save the Children, have also set up modern Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) across government hospitals in the five cities of Pune, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Jaipur, and Indore. 

 Save the Children India’s (SC India) response post-COVID 19 has focused on the delivery of ‘Non–Medical/Non-Pharmaceutical Basic Essential Package’ for the most deprived and marginalized children, their families, and communities across strategic geographies. Uptil now 13.64 lakh people have been reached including 5.57 lakh children across 13 states through COVID support, awareness drives, and psycho-social support to the community as part of the response.