SumeetSSG to invest Rs 1,600 cr in Maha; bags emergency med service project

Medical emergency service provider SumeetSSG on Wednesday said it will invest Rs 1,600 crore in Maharashtra, where it has bagged the mandate to implement a healthcare emergency service project.

The Maharashtra Emergency Medical Services (MEMS) 108 Ambulance Project, aimed at introducing advanced ambulance fleet with specialised medical equipment for use during the critical "golden hour" of emergencies, will be rolled out across the state in five phases in the coming months, the company said.

The 10 years long project is valued at Rs 14,000 crore and is being considered as a major investment in the state's healthcare infrastructure.

Of the total planned investment of Rs 1,600 crore, as much as Rs 650 crore will go into acquiring new fleet to operate the services and Rs 100 crore in setting up over 180-seater round-the-clock advanced emergency response centres across the state. The remaining funds will be used for working capital and other purposes, Summit Salunke, Chief Executive Officer at SumeetSSG, told PTI.

SumeetSSG is a 76:24 joint venture between Pune-based Sumeet Group Enterprises and Spanish firm SSG Matrix.

SumeetSSG is looking at a fleet size of 1,756 ambulances, including advanced life support as well as neonatal ambulances, first responder bikes, sea and river boat ambulances, said Salunke, who is also the vice chairman at Sumeet Group Enterprises, India.

These ambulances will be equipped with advanced technologies like mobile data terminals, tablet PCs, GPS, caller location tracking, and CCTV, among others.

Besides, they will also have in-built customer relationship management, computer-aided dispatch, vehicle tracking and management system, and patient arrival intimation systems.

The forward integration for MEMS 108 would include medical application drones and helicopter emergency medical services, the company said.

Under the State National Health Mission, the programme seeks to save lives by ensuring timely stabilisation and transport to hospitals for a wide range of health emergencies, including road accidents, severe illnesses, and natural disasters, it said.

The company has recently showcased its fleet before Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez Perez-Castejon during his visit to the city, Salunke said.

"This collaboration holds the potential to bring transformative changes to India's emergency medical services sector," he said.

During his visit to Mumbai for the Spain-India Business Summit, Sanchez inspected and unveiled the new fleet meant for MEMS 108, the company said.

"Our partnership with Sumeet Group will drive meaningful changes that will benefit the wider public," said Diego Prieto Jr, Co-CEO at SumeetSSG and Vice Chairman of SSG Matrix SL, Spain.

Built under the public-private partnership based on Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) model, the service provider will contribute 51 per cent to the project while the state government would contribute 49 per cent share.