‘One Nation, One Ambulance System’: Centre issues new guidelines for uniform ambulance services
New Delhi, June 29: Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Monday released the National Ambulance Service Operational Guidelines-2026. These guidelines aim to make ambulance services uniform, modern, and more effective across the country so that every citizen can access timely, safe, and quality emergency medical transportation.
Under the new guidelines, for the first time, a national framework has been developed for the operation, monitoring, and quality of ambulance services for all states and union territories. This includes provisions such as ambulance categories, deployment based on population, essential equipment, medicines, trained emergency medical technicians, infection control, vehicle maintenance, quality monitoring, and grievance redressal.
The government has made it mandatory for all ambulances to comply with AIS-125 standards, ensuring the quality and safety of ambulance services across the country.
The guidelines also emphasize the establishment of Integrated Command and Dispatch Centers. These centers will be equipped with GPS-based ambulance tracking, digital call management, smart dispatch systems, and real-time monitoring dashboards. Furthermore, there are plans to gradually integrate ambulance services with the country’s unified emergency number, 112.
The new system will provide information on hospitals, trauma centers, ambulance stations, accident-prone areas, and available beds through GIS (Geographic Information System)-based mapping. This will enable quick transportation of patients to the nearest and most appropriate hospital and reduce emergency response times.
The guidelines also recommend scientific deployment of ambulances. This will analyze data on emergency calls, accident-prone areas, traffic, geographical conditions, and population to ensure better access to emergency healthcare services, even in rural, remote, and inaccessible areas.
