Sumeet Facilities Limited India, in consortium with Grupo SSGMatrix, Spain and previous service operator BVG India will implement the New ‘Maharashtra Emergency Medical Services’ (MEMS) 108 Ambulance Project in the state of Maharashtra.
This project is set to transform emergency medical services in India with the integration of cutting-edge technology using advanced global standards. The 10-year large-scale initiative introduces a new operational model featuring state-of-the-art technology to boost service efficiency and effectiveness, bringing wide scale reform to the healthcare sector across Maharashtra.
Currently, ambulance services across India operate primarily as Patient Transportation Services (PTS). The new project envisioned by the Government of Maharashtra aims to genuinely save lives by utilising specialised medical equipment during the critical golden hour of a patient's emergency.
The project, under the State National Health Mission, aims to provide pre-hospital health emergency services to patients in critical and non-critical conditions, utilising life support ambulances to stabilise and facilitate prompt mobilisation to nearby hospitals. The initiative covers a wide range of health emergencies, including road accidents, critical diseases, and natural calamities, among others.
Built under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) model for the first time in India, with service provider contributing to 51% of the capital expenditure and the government contributing to 49%.
The total capital expenditure procurement value has increased from approximately Rs 240 crore for 937 ambulances (Advance Life Support or ALS-233, Basic Life Support or BLS-704) in 2013 to approximately Rs 870 crore for 1,756 ambulances in 2024, reflecting the adoption of new international specifications and a variety of fleet types. The annual operational expenditure by the government has doubled from approximately Rs 425 crore to Rs 800 crore, in line with the expanded service scope and doubled fleet size.
