Berhampur: Ganjam district administration will next week launch a free auto-ambulance service to ferry pregnant women from remote areas to the nearby health centres, said collector V Keerthi Vasan. The administration has identified 247 villages in 12 blocks to provide the auto-ambulance services.The designated autorickshaws under the initiative, Nirikhyana Sathi, will carry pregnant women to the nearby hospitals thrice for free ultrasound tests and finally for delivery. The district administration will provide the fare of the autorickshaw from the Red Cross funds, said Vasan, adding they had earlier launched Nirikhyana to facilitate the free ultrasound facilities in 2023.Under Nirikhyana Sathi, the WhatsApp numbers of the auto-ambulance drivers would be provided to the expected mothers and Ashas. They will call the auto-ambulance driver at the time of need. Around 100 auto-rickshaws will be engaged, and provided with the stickers of Nirikhyana Sathi, sources said.Under the Nirikhyana programme, an app has developed for the pregnant women to receive alerts for important tests, including ultrasound. The initiative also got SKOCH award last year.
