Narasaraopet (Andhra Pradesh), Aug 11 (PTI) The Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday launched 300 advanced 102 Thalli Bidda Express ambulances across the state to provide safer transportation for mothers and newborn babies, with another 200 vehicles to be introduced within two months.
State Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav launched 50 vehicles at the area hospital in Narasaraopet, while the remaining vehicles were launched simultaneously across different districts by officials and public representatives.
“Andhra Pradesh launched 300 advanced 102 Thalli Bidda Express ambulances across the state to ensure safer transportation for mothers and newborns, with another 200 vehicles to be rolled out within two months,” said Yadav in an official press release.
The government is also considering a proposal to appoint women drivers for the 102 Thalli Bidda Express vehicles to provide employment opportunities and promote financial self-reliance among women, Yadav said.
“Women are capable of working efficiently in all fields and they can also drive. The government is positive about the proposal to appoint women drivers,” he said.
The minister noted that a private agency operating the 102 vehicles has proposed appointing women drivers for the service.
The 102 Thalli Bidda Express service is being expanded from providing free drop-back facilities to women after delivery to covering the pregnancy stage, including antenatal check-ups, and shifting high-risk pregnancy cases to hospitals, said Yadav.
The new vehicles are equipped with A/C, six airbags, foot rests, GPS tracking and an emergency SOS button.
The 102 services for pregnancy and delivery, 108 emergency medical services and 104 village-level examination and treatment services were being integrated to establish a comprehensive healthcare system and reduce the need for people to visit hospitals for basic services.
The number of 108 ambulances has been increased from 602 to 733, including around 170 vehicles equipped with advanced life-support facilities, while response times in urban, rural and tribal areas have also been reduced, he said.
Through 104 mobile medical units, 41 types of tests will be provided free of cost in villages, with a Sanjeevani platform being developed to provide further medical services based on test results, said Yadav.
Meanwhile, the Minister dismissed opposition allegations that the government was spending twice as much on 102 services, saying the cost had increased due to higher vehicle prices and additional facilities such as GPS and emergency response systems.
“The vehicles are new, the facilities are new and the monitoring is new. How is it possible to provide the same level of services now at the expenditure incurred earlier?” Yadav questioned.
He alleged that during the previous YSRCP government between 2019 and 2024, fewer than 300 vehicles were actually available against the stipulated 500 vehicles under the 102 service, while bills were paid for all 500 vehicles. GPS monitoring is now being used to track every vehicle, he said.
Yadav rejected the opposition’s allegation that the government had stopped NTR Vaidya Seva, saying the scheme had only been renamed from Aarogyasri.
Nearly Rs 9,000 crore was spent under NTR Vaidya Seva between 2019 and 2024, while the NDA coalition government has spent around Rs 7,000 crore in two years, he said, adding that the average number of beneficiaries has increased from 8.2 lakh annually to 14.5 lakh a year.
Further, the Minister also rejected charges regarding DSC appointments, saying the opposition had allegedly failed to produce evidence despite being invited for an open discussion on alleged irregularities.
He said around 12,000 appointments have been made in medical, nursing, paramedical and other departments since the NDA coalition government came to power, resulting in an increase in OP and IP services in government hospitals.
At the Narasaraopet hospital, major surgeries increased from 3,248 to 4,321, X-rays from 14,000 to 15,450 and ECGs from 5,832 to 6,900, he said. PTI MS ROH
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