Apollo Multispeciality Hospitals Kolkata introduces the fully connected 5G Ambulance for the first time in India. This innovative initiative will revolutionize access to healthcare and save lives in dire situations. Modern medical technology, patient monitoring software, and telemetry devices are all included in the specially constructed, 5G-connected ambulance. These gadgets also enable low-latency transmission of the patient’s health data to the hospital. Additionally, it has integrated cameras linked to the incredibly quick and responsive 5G network. HealthNet Global Limited, a leader in the provision of various health technology solutions, offers the comprehensive linked care technology solution. It’s an affiliate of Apollo Hospitals.
When a critical patient is en route to the hospital and every second makes a difference, the 5G-connected Ambulance acts as an extension of the emergency room and enables the following:
• Always connected to the hospital: The high-speed, low-latency 5G network relays the geo-location of the ambulance to the hospital’s command centre to ensure the nearest ambulance reaches the critical patient to save the Golden Hour time. Also, the ambulance transmits the patient’s complete telemetry data, including vitals, in near real-time to doctors and experts at the hospital. This allows the doctors at ER to make quicker decisions and advise paramedics in the ambulance to administer required aid while on the move. It also prepares the hospital staff to better manage the patient on arrival and save precious time.
• Transports ER Specialist doctors virtually to the ambulance: With near real-time camera feed available, the doctors and paramedics in the ambulance can use the cameras to collaborate with the ER specialist doctors at the hospital who are equipped with advanced technologies to undertake basic procedures, if necessary. The doctors can virtually guide the paramedic to carry out the procedure and save precious lives.
Present at the occasion, Dr K Hari Prasad, President-Hospitals Division, Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Limited, said, “Apollo Hospitals has always strived to provide access to the community. The 5G-connected ambulances use advances in technology to provide immediate access to the seriously ill and injured. It enables advanced care from the spot where the patient is through the journey to the hospital and in the Emergency room. This is truly a pathbreaking initiative and will be an important tool in saving precious lives.”
On this note, Mr Rana Dasgupta, CEO-Eastern Region, Apollo Hospitals Group, said, “Keeping up with our tradition to always offer modern healthcare, we bring the 5G-connected ambulance to save the lives of critical patients and utilize the Golden Hour to the benefit of patients. The ambulance will provide real-time images and data due to super-fast streaming and the image clarity would also be very high due to the 5G technology. Treatment will now begin when the patient is on the way to the hospital.”
Also present at the occasion, Dr Surinder Singh Bhatia, Director Medical Service, Apollo Hospitals, Kolkata, said, “The criticality of the ‘Golden Hour’ is well known and it can mean the difference between life and death for seriously ill or trauma patients in an emergency. The Golden Hour is impacted by the facilities in an ambulance and the distance from the hospital. Studies show that longer journey to the hospital is associated with an increased risk of mortality, with a 10‐km increase in straight‐line distance associated with around a 1% absolute increase in mortality. Instead of pre-hospital management, we may say that with the 5G-connected ambulance, it is the hospital on wheels that reaches the patient to start early management. These insights propelled us to bring the 5G-connected ambulance to utilize the disruption-free, lag-free connectivity it provides.”
Dr Arijit Bose, Senior Consultant & Head Department of Emergency Medicine, Apollo Multispeciality Hospitals, Kolkata, added, “The super-fast streaming and the image clarity of the 5G-connected ambulance would help us to save many lives as timely treatment can be started even in the transit phase in the ambulance itself. Along with medication, if needed, interventions and intubations can also be done in the ambulance itself.”