Preprint / Version 1

Can the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) System Help in Improving the Healthcare Access – Evidence from Maharashtra EMS

Authors

  • Biranchi Jena Department of Hospital and Healthcare Management, Global Business School and Research Centre, Dr. D Y Patil Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Tathawade, Pune, Maharashtra, India
  • Dnyaneshwar Shelke BVG Maharashtra Emergency Medical Services, Aundh Chest Hospital, New Sanghvi, Pune, Maharashtra, India
  • Sujata Saunik Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, USA

Keywords:

EMS ambulances, health facility, healthcare access, medical consultation, out-patient department services, public health centers

Abstract

For many people in the remote regions of India, medical help is inaccessible as 66% of rural Indians do not have access to critical medicine and 31% of the population travel more than 30 km seeking health care in rural India. Timely non-availability of doctors in healthcare facilities, especially in primary health centers (PHCs), leads to more dependency on the private healthcare practitioners for the out-patient department services. This needs immediate attention. Materials and Methods: The healthcare authority in Maharashtra has allowed doctors in 108 emergency ambulances to provide consulting services. The current study is based on the total consultations managed by the doctors on-board on the 108 ambulances in the state of Maharashtra in the years 2020, 2021, and 2022. The data are procured from the state-run Emergency Response Centre, and the analysis is done by using the basic statistical technique in MS Excel and SPSS16.0. Results: More than 9.35 lakh medical consultations were provided with an average 856 consultations per ambulance in the year 2022, showing a significant growth of 452% over the consultations in 2020. The base location of the 32% ambulance (298) in the PHCs has improved the round the clock accessibility in 16% of the total PHCs in the state of Maharashtra. Conclusion: The availability of the doctors in the state-run emergency ambulances for general healthcare services has improved the adherence of Indian Public Health Standards, and such practice must be examined for implementation in other states. Keywords: EMS ambulances, health facility, healthcare access, medical consultation, out-patient department services, public health centers

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