SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Institutions: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
The World Health Organization has released its 2025 operational guidance for ambulance systems, providing a framework to strengthen prehospital emergency care across countries. The report highlights persistent gaps in low- and middle-income countries, where nearly half still lack organized ambulance services. It sets standards on regulation, training, quality improvement, communications, and medical control to ensure that ambulances are adequately staffed, equipped, and integrated into emergency care systems. By promoting standardized protocols and clear governance, the guidance aims to reduce preventable deaths and improve resilience during disasters and health emergencies.
For India, where ambulance systems remain fragmented and vary across states, the WHO framework offers a benchmark to harmonize training, certification, and operational protocols. Embedding these standards into national health coverage and disaster preparedness can enhance equity in access and raise the quality of emergency care.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How can India institutionalize WHOβs ambulance system standards to ensure equitable, reliable, and state-coordinated prehospital emergency care?
Follow the full news here: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/381979/9789240111097-eng.pdf?sequence=1