Jharkhand BJP MLA Bohra’s Free Ambulance Service Help People in Remote Areas

Kawardha: Recognising the importance of timely medical assistance during emergencies, BJP MLA Bhawna Bohra has been running a free ambulance service in Chhattisgarh’s Pandariya constituency, earning her the popular tag of ‘Ambulance Wali Didi’. Keeping in mind the healthcare needs of people, including members of the Baiga primitive tribe, Bohra, the incumbent BJP MLA from Pandariya, launched the free ambulance service with two ambulances in 2014. Bohra said, “As time passed, responsibilities grew, and the scope of service expanded.”

“Today, eight free ambulances are operating across the Pandariya constituency, and two more are set to be inducted soon,” she added.The service, which began in her native village Ranveerpur, is now available across almost every zone of the constituency. Villagers have contact numbers of ambulance drivers and managers, and the vehicles are dispatched to the caller’s location before taking patients to hospitals.

“The true necessity of this service became evident during the COVID-19 pandemic when reaching a hospital was a major challenge. During the pandemic, these free ambulances made multiple trips a day to ferry patients to nearby health facilities. So far, around 8,000 to 9,000 patients have been transported to hospitals through these ambulances,” Bohra said.The initiative has also expanded beyond ambulance services with the launch of a ‘Health Mobile Lab’ to facilitate timely diagnosis and testing.According to Bohra, the mobile laboratory conducts around 20 types of blood tests and aims to provide reports promptly.