L-G Saxena launches ‘Ladakh Sanjeevani Seva’; flags off 73 ambulances to serve 248 villages across 7 districts
Leh, October 19: Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, on Monday, launched ‘Ladakh Sanjeevani Seva’, a dedicated 24×7 ambulance service, catering to all 248 villages across all seven districts of Ladakh. Residents can access the service through the emergency helpline 108.
With a fleet of 73 ambulances with trained drivers, the service is designed to respond promptly to medical emergencies in every situation – whether a road accident, a tourist is medical need, any high-altitude emergency, or an expecting mother requiring transportation to the hospital.
Under the service, every village has been mapped to a designated ambulance and driver, with each ambulance linked to its nearest health centre.
The ambulances are located, on an average, approximately 13 kilometres from the villages they serve.
The objective is to ensure that anyone facing a medical emergency in any remote part of Ladakh, receives immediate assistance at their doorstep, and is able to reach a healthcare facility in time.
Taking a step further towards maternal healthcare, the health workers have gone from village to village to collect information about expecting mothers.
Their expected dates of delivery have been recorded, and each woman has been linked to the ambulance and driver assigned to the village nearest to her.
More than 1,100 pregnant women across Ladakh have already been included in the centralized database. This advance planning will help health workers know when a woman’s expected delivery date is approaching, where she lives, and which ambulance is available to transport her to the hospital. The system is intended to facilitate timely arrangements and reduce the risk of delays, particularly in remote settlements and during harsh winter conditions, when arranging transport at short notice can be especially difficult.
Describing the launch of “Sanjeevni Sewa” as a significant milestone and a new lifeline for the people of Ladakh, the LG said, it is Administration’s commitment that no citizen will be left alone, in a difficult situation or during a medical emergency.
Addressing the launch, the Lieutenant Governor said, “A health system is judged not merely by its buildings, but by how quickly it reaches a mother in labour, an accident victim or a critically ill patient in a remote village. Through Ladakh Sanjeevani Seva, we are ensuring that medical assistance reaches people when they need it most. Special attention is being given on pregnant women and critically ill patients. Our aim is simple – no person in Ladakh should be denied timely medical care because of distance or the inability to find transport.”
The district-wise deployment of the 73 ambulances is as follows: Leh – 18; Kargil – 17; Changthang – 12; Sham – 9; Nubra – 9; Zanskar – 4; and Drass – 4.
The ambulance service will also support patients suffering from cancer, kidney disease, heart disease, stroke and serious lung diseases. Many of these patients require repeated hospital visits for treatment, and arranging transport can place considerable physical, emotional and financial pressure on them and their families.