Kathmandu — Kathmandu Metropolitan City has launched a motorcycle ambulance service to help trained medical teams reach patients in critical condition more quickly, particularly in areas affected by heavy traffic and difficult road access.
Acting Mayor Sunita Dangol inaugurated the service from Kathmandu Plaza and handed over the motorcycle ambulances to Nepal Ambulance Service for operation on Thursday, Ashoj 30, 2083.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Dangol said the initiative aims to bring trained emergency medical personnel to patients as quickly as possible, especially when conventional four-wheeled ambulances cannot reach the scene in time because of traffic congestion.
“An ambulance is generally understood as a vehicle that transports patients to hospitals. However, we have introduced this service to take trained health workers providing emergency medical care directly to patients in critical situations,” Dangol said.
She emphasised the importance of reaching patients during the critical early minutes of a medical emergency, often referred to as the “golden hour,” when timely medical intervention can make a significant difference in saving lives. The motorcycle ambulance service is intended to reduce delays in delivering initial medical assistance while a regular ambulance is on its way.
The motorcycle ambulances will not transport patients or replace conventional ambulances. Instead, they will carry emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to the scene, where they can provide first aid and stabilise patients to prevent their condition from worsening before the regular ambulance arrives. Patients will then be transported to hospitals for further treatment.
Each motorcycle ambulance will be equipped with a “Red Bag” containing essential supplies, tools and equipment required for first aid and emergency medical care. This will allow trained medical personnel to begin providing immediate assistance while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
Nepal Ambulance Service Chairperson Dr. Anil Shrestha said the investment made by Kathmandu Metropolitan City in emergency medical services would help save lives. He added that the organisation would document the use and benefits of the motorcycle ambulances through incident reports and other relevant data and share the findings with the metropolitan city.
Health Department Chief Deepak Kumar K.C. described the initiative as an innovative idea of the acting mayor and said it would directly benefit residents. He added that plans for further development and expansion of the service would be considered after reviewing its performance during the trial period.
A bilateral agreement for operating the motorcycle ambulance service was also signed on Thursday. The initiative is expected to help emergency medical teams reach patients faster, reduce delays in providing initial treatment and potentially lower the number of deaths occurring at homes or emergency scenes before patients can receive medical care.
