An economic alternative for the conventional ambulances for mass health care. I. Study of the utility of conventional ambulances in a metropolitan city

This epidemiological study was conducted in the metropolitan city of Bombay, to assess the true utility of ambulances for health care. Seventy two ambulances belonging to various ambulance centres, hospitals, and “free lancers” were studied, for their functioning utility in managing ideal medical emergencies. A scoring system was used to assess the utility, based on the guidelines of the National Health Service act of 1948 (directives amendment-1965)(UK). The conclusions drawn were: (a) There exists no categorisation of ambulances. (b) The equipment and utility of ambulance services is far less than desired standards. (c) The regulatory bodies or a registry for ambulance services are redundant