Rotary ambulance for Ramakrishna Mission clinic

With a view to save the lives cardiac patients on their way to hospital, Rotary Club of Calcutta Jadavpur (RCCJ) has donated an ambulance equipped with life saving support system, including apparatuses like defibrillator and ECG machine to Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratisthana hospital in south Kolkata.

The cost of the ambulance is around Rs 10 lakh.

The Rotary Foundation approved a matching grant from the Rotary Club of Danville, Sycamore Valley, USA for the ambulance.

It is to be noted that according to doctors, the first half hour after a cardiac attack or a similar condition is the most crucial to the survival of a patient.

A majority of people waste this time treating the chest pain through self-doctoring.

Off late, many corporate hospitals have introduced the concept of "air ambulance" and "hospital on wheels", so that minimal time is taken to bring patients to hospital.

Yet, only a handful economically well-off patients can afford the facility.

Most of the government hospital ambulances lack basic infrastructure required for cardiac patient.

Apart from the ambulance service, the Rotary Club, Jadavpur would also facilitate setting up computer training institutes at three villages""Gopalnagar, Beichatala and Chowbaga-- in the coming years, said Prabir Ghosh, director, international services and primary project, RCCJ.

The club already runs vocational training institutes for girls in the villages.