Setting up Affordable Emergency Transport Network Facility for Rural Deprived: An Opportunity for Rural Income Generation

Abstract

The Government of Gujarat (GoG) is providing a major impetus for promoting Public Private Partnership for effective delivery of health care services. Deepak Foundation (DF), a corporate supported NGO, signed a memorandum of understanding with GoG to provide Emergency Transport Facility as part of its larger intervention to reduce infant and maternal mortality in four tribal blocks of Vadodara district, Gujarat. Eight vehicles were commissioned to transport emergency patients to nearest referral centres from August 2005. The vehicles were connected to a 24-hour emergency control room along with a helpline number. The patients who could afford to pay were charged Rs.2/- per km. Monthly Management Information System (MIS) was developed to track vehicle utilization and expenses incurred. Out of 3,563 emergency calls received in a year, 3,144 (88%) were attended to. Nearly 67% of the emergencies were pregnancy and new-born related. Although, DF initially incurred heavy loss, the MIS helped to acquire substantial budget from the government to run the operation more effectively at no-profit no-loss basis for the next year. Considering the paucity of such a service in rural and tribal areas, the government could outsource the task of plying emergency cases to local entrepreneurs on a profit basis.