Transporting patients in time and that too in an ambulance equipped with the necessary equipment and doctors is essential in critical cases. Making an effort in this direction and aiming to improve neonatal care services in Karnataka, Dinesh Gundu Rao, the State Health Minister launched Manipal Ambulance Response Service-Neonatal Care on Wheels on Friday in Bengaluru.

These ambulances will provide comprehensive neonatal transport services in Bengaluru and its outskirts. Each of these vehicles will have essential services such as infant incubators, high frequency and conventional ventilators, heart and lung monitors, nitric oxide administration, blanket warmers and advanced vehicle suspension for ensuring a comfortable journey for the patient.

Through the services of the neonatal intensive care unit babies will have a better chance to survive. It is primarily meant for babies born preterm, with cardiac or neurological disorders, breathing problems, and those requiring surgery, among others.

Emphasizing on the importance of NICU, doctors said that the first few hours and days of a newborn’s life are critical, especially for pre-term babies or other medical conditions, and regular transportation could lead to new complications.

Manipal Hospital has launched a helpline — 080-22221111 – to avail this service and these ambulances can be used by other hospitals too. The programme will later undergo expansion and its services will be extended to the Government-run institutions too.

At present this ambulance service includes four vehicles – two for Manipal Hospitals and two for other hospitals.