7 mins, 30 seconds: UP leads in ambulance response time
Rajasthan follows UP with a response time of 7 minutes and 57 seconds, while Kerala ranks third at 10 minutes and 45 seconds; Jharkhand’s response time worst at 16:02 minutes: UP govt
LUCKNOW Uttar Pradesh is a leading state in terms of 108 ambulance response time for many years, with a current response time of 7 minutes and 30 seconds compared to 16 minutes and 52 seconds in 2016-17, the state government was quoted in a release on Friday.
Rajasthan follows UP with a response time of 7 minutes and 57 seconds, while Kerala ranks third at 10 minutes and 45 seconds. Jharkhand’s response time is the worst, at 16:02 minutes. After this, Arunachal Pradesh’s is 15:01 minutes, and Delhi 13:31 minutes, it stated.
Timely emergency access to healthcare facilities can save lives and keeping this in view, the state significantly improved response time of its 108 ambulance services, stated the UP government.
In 2019, chief minister Yogi Adityanath replaced 662 outdated ambulances with vehicles equipped with modern medical technology and added 712 new ambulances to the fleet. Currently, the state operates 2,200 ambulances under the 108 service, assisting an average of 16,703 patients every day.
In 2017-18, the response time for the 108 ambulance service was 13 minutes and 23 seconds, which slightly increased to 14 minutes and 46 seconds in 2018-19. The response time further rose to 17 minutes and 28 seconds in 2019-20 and 18 minutes and 7 seconds in 2020-21, mainly due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, significant improvements were made in the following years, reducing the response time to 8 minutes and 46 seconds in 2022-23 and 7 minutes and 24 seconds in 2023-24.