Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The purchase of 428 more ambulances to improve emergency medical services throughout the state has received approval from the Odisha Cabinet. Of them, 421 ambulances will take the place of outdated EMAS ambulances that have been in operation for more than five years and have traveled more than 2,50,000 kilometers. In order to improve emergency response, five Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances will be positioned at airports and airstrips, and two ALS ambulances will be sent to the Cardiac Care Hospital in Jharsuguda.
In Odisha, the Emergency Medical Ambulance Service (EMAS), which was introduced in 2013, offers the general population free pre-hospital emergency medical treatment. ALS, BLS, and boat ambulances are among the 866 ambulances in EMAS’s fleet, which has been handling about 11–12 lakh emergency cases a year.
It is anticipated that the purchase of new ambulances would save maintenance expenses and speed up response times. A total of Rs. 118.98 crore has been set aside for this purpose, of which Rs. 0.92 crore is from finances of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) and Rs. 118.06 crore is from the state budget. The action is expected to improve care for individuals in need and strengthen Odisha’s emergency medical services.
