The Himachal Pradesh government has launched 2 bike ambulances to rescue patients trapped in hard-to-reach, traffic prone locations.

Now, bikes will come to the rescue of patients in the Himachal Pradesh capital. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on 1^st April launched a free bike ambulance service in Shimla town. Many a time, it becomes difficult for a four-wheeler ambulance to reach the spot due to traffic congestion or due to non-availability of proper ambulance roads. So, two bike ambulances were launched, said a government spokesperson.

The bike service would be implemented by Hyderabad-based GVK-EMRI (Emergency Management Research Institute) under a PPP (Public-private partnership) mode. With the launch of two bike ambulances, Himachal Pradesh became the first state in north India to start this service. Chief Minister Thakur said the bike ambulance service had been launched keeping in mind the geographical conditions of the state, which made it difficult for 108 ambulance service to reach the spot.

He said the bike ambulance service would supplement the already functional 108 National Ambulance Service. Thakur said the service in the first phase would be implemented in Shimla town and thereafter replicated in other parts of the state. The idea for the emergency response service in the state was conceived in December 2007. Since then it has been a major relief for the people of the state, where more than 800 people die in road accidents and around 5,000 get injured every year.