Hyderabad, June 20: The timely reach of 108 services make all the difference between life and death in emergencies.
But there are sadists for whom killing time actually amounts to killing people. Their calls, running into thousands per month, send operators at the call centre into jitters and ambulances into wild-goose chases, often at the expense of people really in distress.
According to Arogya Sri minister P Sathyanarayana, the 108 call centre received about 5,727 calls in April from one number alone 96409 43639. And this is not the sole sadist. In January, others of his ilk had their fingers busy too with about 5,300 calls from 98493 57420 and 3,876 from 94927 42016.
The minister said the call centre received about 50,000 calls every day and of these only 10,000 were turning out to be genuine. The biggest problem was that 108 was a toll-free number. When asked what action was being taken, the minister said the police were on the trail of the culprits and they would soon be caught. He said it was being ascertained as to what section could be invoked to book these warped people.
The minister added that the expert committee appointed to look into 108 services would give its report in 10 days and steps would be taken to act on the recommendations made.
WHO FUNDS FOR 104: He said the World Health Organisation was going to give funds to 104 services(mobile health centres) and an agreement would soon be signed in this regard.
Sathyanarayana categorically stated that the 108 and 104 services would be continued at any cost and that Chief Minister K Rosaiah considered them essential services.
———Agencies