Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Manglauru, Jun 10: Cyclone which wreaked havoc on the coast just before the beginning of the monsoon this year, accounted for several lives as boats met with accidents at sea. Now, the monsoon is here and the sea can turn violent anytime. Boat ambulances had been envisaged as a measure that is very much needed in coastal Karnataka to avoid loss of lives at sea. But so far the ambulance has not been provided.

Karnataka has a 320 km coastline from Talapady to Goa. In this part of the sea, many accidents happen every year and several lives are lost. Many die because, after the accidents, others cannot reach there on time to help the concerned. Even though the Coast Guard has a fleet of ships and the Coastal Security Force has interceptor boats, they have only a first-aid facility. If complicated treatment is needed, the injured need to be brought to the shore and then taken to hospital. In this case, a lot of time gets wasted. Boat ambulances can come in handy in such cases.

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The state government, with the aim of reducing loss of lives by whatever extent possible, had envisaged boat ambulance to enable the concerned to rush to the spot in a few minutes. This also was a long pending demand of the fishermen. The Coastal Security Police Force and fisheries department had also taken up this issue with the government but the ambulance is yet to come. The coast is in need of a minimum of two boats. If the ambulance comes early, the district administration will be able to handle the accidents during the monsoons in a better way.

These ambulances have more facilities than road ambulances. They have a team of experts who know how to treat people who are rescued after falling into the water, provision to treat multiple people at a time, treatment centre, mortuary etc. Expert swimmers are also provided. These ambulances can move at a speed of 14 nautical miles per hour.

Capt Manivannan P, principal secretary in the animal husbandry and fisheries department, said that processes to provide sea ambulance boats are on and that the ambulances might become a reality soon.