‘Pilots’ who save lives share stories of success

Chennai: They are called ‘pilots’ who strive hard to save the lives of others. At a function on Pilots’ Day on Monday, organised by the GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute which runs the 108 service, ambulance drivers or ‘pilots’ had many stories to share.

One of these was to do with a school-going child who called the 108 ambulance service in Coimbatore district, requesting them to rush as his father was having severe chest pain.

“We got the call and immediately rushed to the area, but could not locate the exact address as the kid was too young to give correct details. Our emergency medical technician got an idea: he asked the child to wave a sari or dupatta from the balcony. Hearing ambulance siren, the child did as told, we located the house and admitted the father to a hospital. He was saved,” recalled pilot Sivaswami.

Pilots are those who not only make sure that patients and victims are safely transported to hospitals from the place of emergency, but also ensure proper maintenance and upkeep of the fleet and support in providing pre-hospital care on-site and on the way to the hospital.

Project director of the Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project M.S. Shanmugam said that 108 ambulances played a major role in bridging the gap between the public and services provided by hospitals. 

“We have plans to bring in new strategies to enhance the service,” said Mr. Shanmugam.

B.N. Sridhar, regional chief operating officer, said that the services rendered by pilots was making more people opt for it. “The number of users has gone up from 62,000 to 70,000 in a year,” he said.