Apollo Unveils India's First 5G Connected Ambulance Service

The ambulance has advanced medical equipment, patient monitoring apps and telemetry devices that transmit vital health data to the hospital with minimal delay. In addition, the ambulance has onboard cameras connected to a fast, low-latency fifth-generation network. HealthNet Global Limited provides the technology that powers the ambulance.

A 5G-connected ambulance will transmit a patient's vital signs in real-time. This will allow doctors to make faster decisions and advise paramedics on the fly. In addition, a low-latency camera feed can help ambulance personnel collaborate with advanced-equipped emergency specialists in the hospital. This also enables instant tracking of the patient's location, ensuring that the nearest ambulance can quickly arrive to help in critical situations.

Bharti Airtel partnered with Cisco and Apollo Hospitals to demonstrate a 5G-connected ambulance in Bangalore. Meanwhile, Reliance Jio collaborated with emergency medical service provider Medulance to launch a similar service.

"The 5G-connected ambulances use advances in technology to provide immediate access to the seriously ill and injured. It enables advanced care from the spot where the patient is through the journey to the hospital and in the Emergency room. This is truly a pathbreaking initiative and will be an important tool in saving precious lives," said K Hari Prasad, President-Hospitals Division, Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Limited.

"Studies show that longer journeys to the hospital are associated with an increased risk of mortality, with a 10-km increase in straight-line distance associated with around a 1% absolute increase in mortality. Instead of pre-hospital management, we may say that with the 5G-connected ambulance, it is the hospital on wheels that reaches the patient to start early management," said Surinder Singh Bhatia, Director of Medical Service, Apollo Hospitals, Kolkata.