LALITPUR: The Lalitpur Metropolitan City (LMC) has launched an ambulance service equipped with doctors or health workers, which will reach patients at their homes within 15 minutes of receiving an emergency call.

Altogether five ambulances, equipped with oxygen, Ambu bags, emergency medicines and ventilators among other essential medical equipment, have been deployed for those in medical urgency, the Metropolis said.

Metropolis Mayor Chiribabu Maharjan shared, “The service has been launched to provide patients with preliminary, emergency and essential medical care before taking them to hospital.

Maharjan further informed, “Our team will reach the patient within 15 minutes of receiving information, provide the necessary service and assist in taking the patient to hospital if required.”

He revealed that the Metropolis decided to replicate what he had observed as an emergency medical service in Makati of Philippines during one of his visits.

The sexagenarian leader further disclosed, “We have started this service by formulating the necessary procedures. This work is not possible merely with money and human resources.”

According to him, the Metropolis is introducing new initiatives in different sectors as part of their effort to learn and put new ideas into practice.

Inaugurating the newly launched ambulance service, Minister for Health and Food Safety, Nisha Mehta, commended the Metropolis for its initiatives in the health sector.

Minister Mehta observed that an ambulance service with doctors and advanced medical equipment was not merely a routine service. “It is highly important and challenging undertaking,” she asserted.

She recognized the Metropolis’s effort as saying, “Only a few countries in the world have been able to adopt such an exemplary initiative in the health sector as Lalitpur Metropolitan City has.”

The Minister also pledged all possible facilitation on the part of her Ministry for every initiative aimed at providing better services to citizens.

Likewise, Rekha Das Shrestha, Chief Administrative Officer at the Metropolis, described the initiative as an ‘innovative’ and ‘exemplary’ health service among local governments across the country.

Similarly, Dr Nabees Man Singh Pradhan, Vice-Chancellor of Patan Academy of Health Sciences expressed his confidence that the initiative would benefit Metropolis residents by providing free pre-hospital emergency care, including services with ventilators and doctors.