NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, AUG 31
The Tamil Nadu Government has appointed a woman as ”108” ambulance driver, claimed to be the first in the country, as Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami flagged off 118 vehicles as part of an initiative to strengthen emergency services in the state.
Hon’ble @CMOTamilNadu launched 108, 108 ambulances exclusively for #COVID19 services. #TNHealth pic.twitter.com/fk0l8oWlll
— Dr C Vijayabaskar – Say No To Drugs & DMK (@Vijayabaskarofl) August 31, 2020
M Veeralakshmi was appointed driver of one of the newly launched ”108” ambulances and it is a ”first” in the country, a government release said.
Ninety ambulances equipped with life saving medical equipment, 10 high tech vehicles for use by 10 government blood banks for transporting blood collected in camps and 18 ambulances donated by an entertainment television channel group for anti-COVID tasks were flagged off.
பொதுமக்களின் உயிர்காக்கும் உன்னத சேவைகளுக்காக 118 அவசரகால ஊர்திகள்! pic.twitter.com/cqXVsOXsVc
— CMOTamilNadu (@CMOTamilnadu) August 31, 2020
On March 24, Palaniswami had announced in the Assembly that to further strengthen the 108 ambulance emergency services, 500 new ambulances would be dedicated to the state at a cost of about Rs 125 crore. To implement it, in the first phase, 90 ambulances and 10 blood collection vehicles at an estimated cost of Rs 20.65 crore and Rs 3.09 crore respectively were procured.
Marking distribution of appointment orders to 138 recruits in the Public Health and Preventive Medicine department, Palaniswami gave away the orders to seven of them at the secretariat in the presence of State Health and Family Welfare Minister C. Vijayabhaskar, Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan and other officials, the release added.
