Chennai To Use Old Ambulances For Helping Disabled And Destitute

Around 300 'condemned' ambulances lying idle in the state health department's backyard will rev up again, this time to rescue the disabled destitute.

The project, which will be carried out on a pilot basis for a year, will be rolled out in two months' time, said sources who attended a meeting last week among officials of the National Health Mission, the commissionerate for the differently abled and various NGOs that work for the mentally ill.

Representational Image

The health department has roped in its 104 medical counselling helpline and the state-branch of Indian Red Cross Society to provide manpower in these vehicles.

"If anyone comes across a mentally ill person on the road, she or he can contact the helpline, which, in turn, will alert the nearest ambulance," said an official. The ambulance will have a counsellor for assistance. After a preliminary screening by the counsellor, the patient will be taken to the Institute of Mental Health, Kilpauk, for further evaluation.

"We will alert the police for help to trace the family, and place the person under observation for 10 days," said the official, adding that the department is also forming a network of psychiatric homes that cater to such people.

Ambulances engaged by the 108 emergency service are usually taken off the fleet after six years or when they cross 2.5 lakh km. The decision is taken following an inspection by a committee constituted by the state health transport department. The team can also deem a vehicle unfit for emergency service if the engine is faulty or following an accident. At present, there are 300 such ambulances rusting away in two yards at Tambaram and Trichy, said officials.

BCCL/Representational Image

"These vehicles don't have the power for emergencies, but can be used on the roads for other purposes," said an official. Some of them are used for the state-sponsored hearse service.

According to a survey taken by Chennai corporation last year, there are around 3,500 homeless people in Chennai. Experts say, of these, at least 30% of them suffer from psychiatric problems, with 1-3% having severe mental illnesses.

R Muthukrishnan, senior manager of HelpAge India, said the organisation's helpline receives at least five calls a day seeking help for a mentally ill person in a public space. "The calls go up during the monsoon and in summers," he said. The group operates with just one vehicle. "It isn't possible to reach everyone," he said, welcoming the state's initiative. D Kotteshwara Rao, from Schizophrenia Research Foundation, who was among those who attended the recent meeting, said the refurbished ambulances should also cater to the non-emergency medical needs of psychiatric patients residing in shelters for the homeless.

BCCL/Representational Image

"The 108 ambulance service often turns down our request to transport psychiatric patients. Auto and cab drivers are also reluctant to take them as they are scared," said Rao, who uses his own vehicle to ferry these people.

Vandana Gopikumar, co-founder of Chennai-based NGO The Banyan, while welcoming the new project, said the state should ensure the destitute are not simply rounded up and dumped in various facilities. "They have to follow a strict protocol. Not everyone recovers in an institution. The government should look at ways to help them recover in a community and enable them to lead the life they want to," she said.