E-way to get air ambulance State Also Plans Trauma Centre For Mishap Victims

Mumbai: The government is working on a plan to air-lift people injured in accidents on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway to a trauma-care hospital in just 15-20 minutes. 

    Concerned over the number of fatalities—many of which occur due to non-availability of emergency medical facilities—the authorities have woken up to the need for such a service as well as the need to set up a trauma-care hospital on the E-way. The plan also envisages having better and swifter road ambulance service, too. It is, however, not yet clear if the air ambulance service will be free. 

    The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which maintains the 92-km road, has invited expressions of interest from health establishments to set up a trauma-care centre with a heliport. Officials expect an investment of Rs 30-40 crore for the project. 

    "The operator should have minimum 5 acres of land along the expressway close to the Talegaon toll naka, which is around 25 km from Pune and 68 km from Panvel. The bidder is also supposed to suggest ways of recovering the investment without charging fees from the accident victims," said a senior MSRDC engineer. 

    The bidders should have one commercial pilot licence holder from a DGCA-affiliated institution and should also be able to provide the helicopter service. "We have proposed it to be a free-of-cost centre, but would like to know from companies if certain charges would have to be levied to recover the investment. A commercial component would be provided for activities around the hospital that would help recover the investment," an MSRDC official said. 

    "We expect the proposals to come up by June 10. Within the next three months, we may shortlist one of the firms whose offer will match our expectations. After a few years, the investor has to transfer the property to the MSRDC after recovering the investment. The construction should not take more than a year as we want the facilities to be provided at the earliest," he explained. 

    The official said they have suggested that people using the air ambulance should not be charged. "We hope to get a suitable model to implement the project," added the official.