DTMT Network

Bharti Airtel, one of India's premier communications solutions providers, partnered with Apollo Hospitals and Cisco to create a 5G connected ambulance that is expected to transform access to healthcare and save lives in emergency situations.

The Apollo Hospitals said that the custom-designed state-of-the-art 5G connected ambulance is equipped with the latest medical equipment, patient monitoring applications, and telemetry devices that transmit the patient health data to the hospital in real-time.

“In addition, it is also equipped with onboard cameras, camera-based Headgear, and Bodycams for paramedic staff – all connected to the ultra-fast & low latency Airtel 5G network. It will be further enabled with technologies like AR/VR,” the hospital said in a statement.

The hospital stated that when a critical patient is enroute to the hospital and every second makes a difference, the 5G connected ambulance acts as an extension of the emergency room.

 “With real-time camera feed available, the paramedics in an ambulance can use the cameras to collaborate with the ER doctors at the hospital who are equipped with technologies like AV/VR to undertake basic procedures, if necessary. The doctors can virtually guide the paramedic to carry out the procedure and save precious lives,” the hospital further added.

“5G is a transformational technology, and this is yet another demonstration by Airtel as to how collaborations can unlock the potential of digital platforms for the good of humanity. Healthcare is one of the most promising use cases for 5G, and we are delighted to deepen our partnerships with Apollo Hospitals and Cisco to bring some innovative use cases for the Indian market,” Ajay Chitkara, Director & CEO, Airtel Business, Bharti Airtel said.

 “The Golden hour is impacted by the facilities in an ambulance and the distance from the Hospital. Studies show that an increased journey distance to the Hospital is associated with an increased risk of mortality, with a 10‐km increase in straight‐line distance associated with around a 1% absolute increase in mortality,” Dr. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group, said.

“Studies also indicate that pre-hospital time management should become a management objective. These insights propelled us to collaborate with Airtel on the 5G connected ambulance project and use 5G in order to utilize the disruption-free, lag-free connectivity it provides,” she added.