The State Health Department is working to strengthen emergency medical services under the 108 Arogya Kavacha scheme, with a focus on reducing ambulance response time and improving pre-hospital care, Health Minister U.T. Khader said on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference, Mr. Khader said the existing national benchmark envisages that patients should be transported to a treatment facility within 20 minutes, often referred to as the “golden hour” framework in emergency care.

“Due to various factors, it has not always been possible to ensure this timeline in all cases. We are now introducing changes in the system with the aim of achieving a 10-minute response time, which we are referring to as the platinum hour,” he said.

The Minister said emergency care begins as soon as the ambulance reaches the patient and is not limited to transportation alone. Ambulances are staffed with trained nurses and technicians who can provide stabilisation and immediate medical assistance during transit.

Jan Aushadi centres

Responding to questions on the sale of branded medicines at Jan Aushadhi centres, Mr. Khader said such outlets were not permitted to directly market medicines of private companies outside the prescribed norms.

“Medicines sold through Jan Aushadhi centres must comply with the standards laid down by the government and the scheme guidelines. These centres were established to make quality generic medicines available at affordable prices,” he said.

The Minister cautioned against practices that could mislead consumers by selling medicines that do not conform to government standards under the guise of affordable healthcare.

“The objective of Jan Aushadhi centres is to provide low-cost medicines to the public. There should be no attempt to exploit that trust by promoting products that are not in line with the prescribed norms,” he said.