Introduction: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Govt. of India, on 30th May 2013 approved the “National Ambulance Code (NAC)” as Automotive Industry Standard - 125 (AIS 125) and on 8th September 2016 notified compliance with AIS-125 (Part 1) mandatory for all road ambulances manufactured on and after the 1st April 2018. NAC detailed the constructional and functional requirements of Category M (four wheelers) and L (two & three wheelers) vehicles used for transport and/or emergent care of patients. In this research report, an effort has been made to examine the impact of the ‘National Ambulance Code’ on the quality and availability of ambulances in India over the past decade. Methods: The report was compiled after detailed discussions and semi-structured interviews with industry experts, academicians, ambulance procurement teams, and ambulance manufacturers. Results: It was strongly felt that the National Ambulance Code has, for the first time, legally enshrined the definition of a road ambulance in India. As the ambulance code also prescribes other vehicle-specific parameters like seating, electrical, fire safety, stretcher loading angle, etc., it simplifies ambulance procurements for healthcare providers, who are often not well-versed in automobile engineering aspects. This has also helped ambulance manufacturers standardise their inventory and models, thereby allowing faster delivery of ambulances. The biggest impact of this was felt during COVID-19, when the average turnaround time for new ambulance deliveries was reduced to days vs. months in the days before the ambulance code. Conclusion: Standardization of basic ambulance design, specifications, and safety requirements is a work in the right direction, as often the end users are medical professionals who are not very well versed with vehicle engineering aspects. However, a right balance has to be struck between standardization and strangulating innovation. Hence, a periodic review of the Ambulance Code is recommended to ensure any amendments in line with industry and user feedback are incorporated timely.
Angel Rajan Singh (Sun,) studied this question.