Mobile intensive care units are considered as important components of the health delivery system since they interface the patients with the facilities within the shortest time possible specifically in event of an emergency. In rapidly urbanising cities like Jaipur, the ambulance service in Jaipur has to grapple with several challenges, some of which Heaven Gate has listed. Awareness of such challenges can give appreciable information regarding the adaptation and enhancement of healthcare and disaster response mechanisms so that the people of Jaipur might get utmost benefit from it.

Traffic Congestion and Restraint in Transport

Another real problem in ambulance service in Jaipur is traffic congestion that relatively hampers operations. The population of the city is on the increase and as a result the rate at which people own cars has also increased. Also, infrastructure is developed gradually with growth in the population density and, as a result, the roads are rather narrow, there are bottlenecks and traffic jams.

Effect on Ambulance Response Time

During rush hour, for instance, tend to be some of the biggest challenges that ambulances face as they attempt to squeeze through traffic. The absence of corridors for EMS vehicles only aggravates the problem. While traffic regulations state that ambulances have the right of way, vehicles do not give way for the ambulance owing to enhanced traffic jungles, lack of driver courtesy, and traffic control. Staying in comfort for an extended period could prove to be dangerous in that patients particularly those that have been involved in accidents, heart attacks, strokes amongst others may lose valuable time when they should be in the hospital receiving care.

Inconsistent Road Quality

The current road infrastructure in some parts of Jaipur has poor quality with some areas boasting of dilapidated potholes and poor pavement. This precipitates the rate of remedial response of the ambulances and jeopardises the medical emergencies used to transport the patients. Thus for an ambulance, smoothness is very important because patients especially the critical ones who require stable movement during transport.

Inconsistent Availability of Medical Supplies

One factor that is not well appreciated when it comes to ambulances is the unpredictable supply of medical materials. There are many cases in Jaipur where many ambulances are ill-equipped, particularly in the service sector. Lack of basic needs or even necessities like oxygen and first aid kits means that there is limited quality of care that can be tendered en-route the hospital.

Maintenance of Equipment

There are also similar problems with regard to the maintenance of some of the equipment used in ambulances. The equipment may be sometimes old or dysfunctional since patients improperly use stretchers, monitors, and ventilators. Due to this, it becomes extremely necessary to look at these ambulances by check-tripping or making frequent updates to ensure optimum performance is achieved.

Awareness and Education Issues

The efficiency of the ambulance services seems to be highly dependent on the level of awareness of the public. People of Jaipur are not very well informed about the codes to adhere to when an ambulance is on the way or how to be useful in an emergency.

Lack of Understanding of Right-of-Way Laws

Most of the drivers in Jaipur do not know or choose to disobey the legal rules that demand they yield to ambulances. The ambulances get caught up in traffic because others do not make way for it. Awareness concerning road safety and right of way laws are important to decrease the time lost because of this problem.

Emergency Numbers.Misconception

There are also the issues with the misuse of the Emergency Services related to the situation. People use the emergency line 108 for anything other than an emergency, hence congesting the line and there are very few ambulances to attend the actual emergencies. Public awareness of the right use of emergency services may be useful in reducing the number of related incidents in the community.

Geographical Challenges

This is due to the fact that the topographical nature of Jaipur poses certain constraints to ambulance services. The city area is a densely populated area, closely built up area, narrow streets, and the huge rural area at the outskirts of the city area. Thereby, causing inconvenience for ambulance service in Jaipur to offer timely response services in all the potential areas.

Conclusion

The problems affecting ambulance service in Jaipur are complex and encompass the congestion and infrastructural hurdles, the inadequacy of qualified human resource, and inadequate stock of medical equipment. There has been some effort made in increasing the effectiveness of the emergency response in the city but that is not enough to solve these problems. Failure to make such alterations means that the city may not afford good quality treatment to its populace in case of emergencies. Visit Heaven Gate to know more.