Govt to procure three marine ambulances at Rs.6 crore

Thiruvananthapuram: A long standing promise made by the Kerala government to the fishing community became a reality on Tuesday as the authorities sanctioned Rs.6 crore to procure three marine ambulances.

"These marine ambulances have become very essential in the wake of numerous reports of our fishermen getting injured due to the vagaries of the rough sea and also due to accidents that occur in the middle of the sea," Fisheries Minister K. Babu told the media.

Sources in the fisheries department said these marine ambulances would be stationed in three of the major fishing centres in the state.

Each of these marine vessels would be fitted with state-of-the-art medical emergency systems for giving immediate medical assistance, besides a kitchen and toilets.

Kerala has 222 marine fishing villages, which comprise 1,20,486 households with 6,02,234 individuals of which 35.5 percent are adult males.