All these ambulances are fitted with global positioning system (GPS) equipment which would allow the operators to keep a tab on the exact position of a particular ambulance. Then there would be medical technicians and helpers in these ambulances to attend patients availing this service.

The state government has roped in the services of Ziquitza Healthcare, Mumbai, for providing this service to the city residents. The said company has expertise in providing such services and at present it is running 81 such ambulances in Mumbai and Kerala.

The service has been designed on public-private partnership (PPP) model and user would have to pay Rs 300 for availing the facility. Members of below poverty line (BPL) families, however, would not have to pay for services given to them as payment would be made from funds of Patients' Welfare Committee, health minister Nand Kishore Yadav told TOI.

The health department has also worked out details for positioning of these ambulances with the target being providing ambulance services to the city residents within 15 minutes of call made on the toll free number.

The places where these ambulances would be stationed are G G S Hospital, Patna City; Jayaprabha Hospital, Kankerbagh; PHC, Phulwarisharif; Sub-divisional hospital, Danapur; IGIC, Patna; PHC, Fatuha; Kurji Hospital and Rajvanshi Nagar Hospital.

A dedicated control room has been set up to monitor
the functioning of these ambulances as well as to issue directions to those manning them once a phone call is received.

"For now, we are starting this project on a pilot basis and if it proves to be useful, the services would be extended to other parts of the state also in future," said the health minister.