Frontline personnel of the 108 Emergency Ambulance Service in Odisha who demonstrated exceptional dedication, professional competence and humanitarian spirit — going beyond the call of duty during critical emergencies — were felicitated at a Reward & Recognition Ceremony held at the State Office of the 108 Ambulance Service in Bhubaneswar, in the presence of Dharmender Khanna, State Head, GVK EMRI Green Health Services, Odisha, and senior officials of the organisation.
The 108 Emergency Medical Ambulance Service (EMAS) is operated under the Integrated Patient Transport & Health Helpline Services (IPTHHS) programme of the National Health Mission, Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Odisha, free of cost to every citizen.
Under the direction of the National Health Mission, Odisha, the programme has been steered towards a single standard — that 108 must be the best patient transport and pre-hospital emergency care service available to the people of Odisha, measured not merely by response time but by the quality and compassion of care delivered at the patient’s side. A fleet of 860 ambulances — 449 Basic Life Support and 411 Advanced Life Support — serves all 30 districts under this mandate.
Personnel Felicitated
▪ Emergency Medical Technicians: B. Jagan Patra, Rahul Pangi, Manuram Soren, Niraj Purohit, Nibas Padhan and Jitendra Hati
▪ Ambulance Pilots: Suryakanta Chand, Alim Ping, Dangeti Suresh and Trinath Sahu
▪ Emergency Response Officers: Trinath Barik, Rabina Pradhan and Rajesh Kumar Sahu
Congratulating the awardees, Mr. Dharmender Khanna said, “Each of you has stood where a family’s worst moment meets the health system, and you have stood there with skill and with compassion. That standard is not set in an office — it is set by the EMT who stabilizes a patient correctly, the pilot who reaches the scene safely and on time, and the Emergency Response Officer who keeps a caller calm. I urge every colleague across Odisha to raise this standard further.”
Earlier, Mr. Dharmender Khanna called on Dr. Mukesh Mahaling, Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Parliamentary Affairs, and Electronics & Information Technology, Odisha, and apprised him of the current status of 108 emergency ambulance operations in the State — including the adoption of indigenous digital platforms, fleet readiness and maintenance measures, and the ongoing capability building of frontline crews.
The Minister’s vision of bringing health and technology infrastructure together to build a responsive, future-ready health system for Odisha continues to shape the programme’s direction, and recognition of outstanding field performance will be carried forward as a regular practice across all districts.
