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State health minister Deepak Sawant made an announcement in this regard at a meeting on Monday.

The state government has decided start an ambulance boat service for the villages located near Mumbai, to ensure quick response in medical emergency. State minister of health Deepak Sawant made an announcement in this regard at a meeting on Monday. Uran MLA Manohar Bhoir and officials of the public works department also attended the meet, regarding the lack of emergency medical services in rural villages. Villages like Uran, Pali and Mhasala are located near Mumbai.

About the plan to start ambulance boats, Sawant, who is from Shiv Sena, said that the Maharashtra coastline is one of the longest in the country and is bordered by a number of small villages that require medical facilities often.

“The state government has also sanctioned the proposal of construction of a 100-bed rural hospital in Uran. The tender and other necessary documents will be cleared in next two months. I have also asked the PWD and state health officials to hold a joint visit in Uran for expediting the procedure for construction of the hospital,” Mr Sawant said.

On the need for a government hospital at Uran, Mr Sawant said that many accidental emergency cases are reported from the Mumbai Pune Expressway and a nearby government hospital in the vicinity would be helpful. The hospital at Uran is expected to be functional by February 2017. “Panvel is close to Mumbai-Pune e-way as well as Mumbai-Goa highway and hence a well equipped hospital is must in the region,” he added. The Panvel Municipal Council has been recently converted into a Municipal Corporation. Hence there is a need for up-gradation of several facilities and services. I have asked the officials from my department to release funds on priority basis for Panvel Municipal Corporation as well as for other similar infrastructural development in the health sector, Mr Sawant added.