The fabled Indian call centre has finally turned its gaze inwards to serve its own people. Soon, medical call centres based on the Indian model may be available to other nations. Dialling 108 connects to emergency medical, fire and police services in two Indian states, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat. It takes an average of twenty minutes for a fully equipped ambulance, with a well-trained medical technician, to arrive. A doctor from a call centre is in continuous contact with the emergency technician beside the patient. Dispatchers use up to-the-minute computer-generated traffic information to direct the ambulance along the shortest route to the hospital. Soon this service, provided by the Emergency Management Research Institute (EMRI) will be available throughout India.

EMRI dispatch centres are modern marvels. Addresses and map locations of fixed line callers are displayed on computer screens that summarize their call histories. The lines are then transferred to medical, police and fire professionals for action. By the time the call reaches the doctor, the location of nearby ambulances and local hospitals, together with data describing available hospital services, is on the screen. Life saving procedures can become accessible within the golden hour, the crucial first hour following the emergency crisis.

A single call centre handles calls from an entire state. In Andhra, EMRI fields a fleet of 500 ambulances, staffed by about 3000 qualified medical technicians and drivers. Estimates indicate that about 22000 lives were saved in Andhra last year through such interventions. This EMRI service is slated to become available throughout India with ten thousand ambulances by 2010.

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