What is EMRI (Emergency Management and Research Institute)?

GVK EMRI (Emergency Medical Research  Institute) is a non-profit organization providing emergency medical services in India and operating and operating under a Public Private Partnership mode (PPP).

EMRI handles medical, police and fire emergencies through the “1-0-8 Emergency Service". This is a free service delivered through well organized emergency call response centers and staffed by well trained paramedical personnel that are able to dispatch over 2600 ambulances across Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Chennai, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Assam, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli. Beginning in 2005 in Hyderabad, EMRI has become the world's largest integrated Emergency Response Services (ERS) Provider serving 40% of India's population across 12 states and two Union Territories. EMRI has signed memorandums of understanding (MOU) with over 6800 hospitals, which have agreed to provide initial stabilization of EMRI transported patients free of cost for the first 24 hours. In some other states (Rajasthan, Bihar, Punjab, and Trivandrum), Ziqitza has been contracted by the government to operate the 1-0-8 emergency service.

Each ambulance is staffed by a trained EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) who provides pre–hospital care while transporting the patient to a hospital for stabilization. If required, the EMT is able to communicate (via cell phone) with the in house ERCP (Emergency Response Care Physician) who is a qualified medical practitioner, available 24/7 to support the EMT as and when required.

When an emergency is reported through 108, the paramedic, who answers the call, gathers the needed basic information and dispatches appropriate services. Basic information obtained includes:

• Where the call is placed from (district/taluka/city/town/exact location/landmark)
• The type of emergency
• Number of people injured and the condition of the injured
• The caller's name and contact number – for location guidance if required

Emergency help dispatched through this process is expected to reach the site of the emergency in an average of 18 minutes. Pre-hospital care will be given to patients being transported to the nearest hospital.

Ziqitza 108 Emergency Response Service operates in the following states