Fact Check: AP Govt Debunks False Claims on 108 Ambulance Services

The Andhra Pradesh government ruled out false claims on functioning of ambulances in the state as reported by Eenadu newspaper dated January 18, 2023. 

The Eenadu report falsely claimed that there are 748 ambulances in the state out of which 250 are in the worst condition and negligence at every level. 

In a fact check, it has been revealed that there are 768 108 vehicles in the state out of which 336 are the old fleet procured before June 2019. 

The present government has procured 432 new ambulance vehicles. After an assessment of the old 336 ambulance vehicles, it has been found that 146 were marked to be replaced. 

A GO has been issued by the government on January 11, 2023 to procure new vehicles. Tender process has been initiated. 

The photo carried in the newspaper is one of those 146 old vehicles, which was marked for replacement. On the very next day, It was available for service again.

The average response time has actually been better than the prescribed norms. The Government is in process to roll out a solution with 'Geo Fencing Technology' to assess the accuracy of the response time/at scene time to avoid mismanagement of reports.

District Coordinators of Aarogyasri Health Care Trust are designated Nodal Officers for 108 Vehicles. They conduct vehicle wise inspections ensuring availability of equipment, consumables and any discrepancies, gets reported immediately. 

Call centers can track all 108 vehicles (on-road, off-road, on-duty & available) in real-time. Respective district dashboards for the same are also available with District Coordinators, so they can check the availability of vehicles as well. 

On an average 1 lakh emergency cases are being handled per month through 108 ambulance services.

The claims made in the below article are factually wrong. Here is a point-by-point debunking of the false claims.

Claim: There are total 748, 108 vehicles in the state out of which 250 are in worst condition and negligence at every level. 1/7#FactCheck Thread pic.twitter.com/d5hWERorir

— FactCheck.AP.Gov.in (@FactCheckAPGov) January 18, 2023

Also Read: Fact Check : Misleading Report on Paddy Procurement in Andhra Pradesh