Maharashtra plans to introduce air ambulance services on the Samruddhi Mahamarg, Mumbai-Pune Expressway and Mumbai-Goa Highway early next year to move critically injured road accident victims to trauma care centres faster, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said on Tuesday.
The proposed service is intended to support treatment during the crucial “golden hour”, when rapid medical intervention can improve the chances of survival for seriously injured patients. Sarnaik announced the plan at a meeting attended by senior officials from the transport, health and police departments.
According to an official statement, the government aims to prepare and approve a standard operating procedure for the service by November 15. A high-level committee is expected to consider the proposal by the end of November, after which the government will begin the tendering process. The service is planned to become operational early in the new year, subject to completion of these procedures.
The proposed system will cover the availability of air ambulances, the safe transfer of injured people to trauma care centres and coordination between emergency response agencies. The transport department, health department and police will jointly develop the operating procedures, including the identification of trauma care centres and the preparation of a panel of service providers.
The government also plans to arrange funding through the road safety fund and establish a standard emergency response system. The meeting was attended by Health Minister Prakash Abitkar, Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam, Transport Commissioner Rajesh Narvekar, Health Department Director Sanjay Katkar and Traffic Police Superintendent Dr Sunil Bhardwaj, among other officials.
The proposal comes amid concerns about delays in medical assistance after serious highway crashes. Traffic congestion, long distances to hospitals and limited emergency medical facilities can affect the time taken to provide treatment, particularly on major routes extending across large parts of the state.
Information shared at the meeting said Maharashtra records around 15,000 road accidents annually. Sarnaik said preventing crashes remained a key government responsibility, but providing prompt medical care after an accident was equally important. He said the government was committed to using modern technology and faster emergency medical services to reduce road accident deaths.
The next formal steps are the completion and approval of the standard operating procedure by November 15, review by the high-level committee by the end of November and the subsequent tendering process for the proposed service.
