Motorcycle-ambulances are a godsend for they are saving lives, one pregnant woman at a time. Inspired by their likes in African countries, these motorcycle-ambulances are a first for India and are proving extremely beneficial in Chhattisgarh where pregnant women of remote regions often die due to lack of proper medical aid. The project Ajay Trakroo, a health specialist with UNICEF said that the project was launched in 2015 with the go-ahead of UNICEF in partnership with Saathi Samaj Sevi Sanstha and the state's Heath Department. The ambulance is a modification of a four-stroke motorbike that is attached with a side-carriage for ferrying patients. At present, there's only one motorcycle-ambulance in play but ten more will be deployed soon in the state. The National Institute of Technology (NIT), Raipur is working on improving the design of the ambulances to better suit the needs of the patients. Priced at Rs 1.7 lakhs, the average monthly investment to keep the ambulances running is Rs 15,000.

Why it works

The project has already helped save 300 lives of which 80 per cent were pregnant women. The efforts have resulted in a dip in maternal and infant mortality rate in the Maoist-region of Narayanpur district in Chhattisgarh.

Driven by the locals themselves, these two-wheeled carriages help save time by ferrying patients from hard-to-reach areas in the forests to the hospital. The locals are even trained in administering the necessary first aid to the patients.