Pregnant women and new mothers can now dial 102 for a special vehicle, which will ferry them to and from government hospitals free of cost across the state for all non-emergency medical reasons.
The facility, launched by chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in May, will allow women to take the vehicle for a ride back home with their newborn along with one family member after delivery. In the past one month, records show that nearly 10,000 women have been dropped home from hospitals. Bookings for the vehicles were done mainly by the hospital authorities.
"Pregnant women and nursing mothers can dial 102 for non-emergency visits to the hospitals. Babies too can be brought to hospitals for routine checkups and vaccination for the first one year," said project manager P Ruban Santhosh.
The 102 fleet, sent from medical college hospitals and district headquarters hospitals and PHCs, currently has 80 vehicles. "The specially designed vehicles have eight baby seats and 16 seats for adults," he said.
Studies have shown that transportation to hospitals is one of the key expenditures on the non-medical side for most patients in Tamil Nadu.
The idea of a vehicle came when health researchers found that many people, particularly those living in suburban and rural areas, spent up to Rs 1,000 on transport after delivery. "Many use 108 ambulances to get to the hospital.But when they are discharged, they are forced to pay from their pockets. For this, many people borrow money or use their savings. If we have a vehicle to safely drops the children, it can reduce this financial burden," he said.
Since the pilot in 2013, 102 vehicles have transported mo vehicles have transported more than 1.2 lakh women across the state. The non-emergency medical transport facility has been outsourced to the Red Cross Society. Although initially conceived as a drop back vehicle, health authorities are now using it also to pick up women who need to visit hospitals for regular checks. " The urban and rural health nurses will accompany them on the vehicle. We can now ensure that no pregnant woman skips a visit because she can't get to the hospital," said health secretary J Radhakrishnan.
The facility, launched by chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in May, will allow women to take the vehicle for a ride back home with their newborn along with one family member after delivery. In the past one month, records show that nearly 10,000 women have been dropped home from hospitals. Bookings for the vehicles were done mainly by the hospital authorities.
"Pregnant women and nursing mothers can dial 102 for non-emergency visits to the hospitals. Babies too can be brought to hospitals for routine checkups and vaccination for the first one year," said project manager P Ruban Santhosh.
The 102 fleet, sent from medical college hospitals and district headquarters hospitals and PHCs, currently has 80 vehicles. "The specially designed vehicles have eight baby seats and 16 seats for adults," he said.
Studies have shown that transportation to hospitals is one of the key expenditures on the non-medical side for most patients in Tamil Nadu.
The idea of a vehicle came when health researchers found that many people, particularly those living in suburban and rural areas, spent up to Rs 1,000 on transport after delivery. "Many use 108 ambulances to get to the hospital.But when they are discharged, they are forced to pay from their pockets. For this, many people borrow money or use their savings. If we have a vehicle to safely drops the children, it can reduce this financial burden," he said.
Since the pilot in 2013, 102 vehicles have transported mo vehicles have transported more than 1.2 lakh women across the state. The non-emergency medical transport facility has been outsourced to the Red Cross Society. Although initially conceived as a drop back vehicle, health authorities are now using it also to pick up women who need to visit hospitals for regular checks. " The urban and rural health nurses will accompany them on the vehicle. We can now ensure that no pregnant woman skips a visit because she can't get to the hospital," said health secretary J Radhakrishnan.