‘Ambulance before pizza’: Delhi CM flags off 11 CATS vehicles, unveils health initiatives

“Ambulance in Delhi should reach before pizza” — with this message, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta flagged off 11 Centralised Accident and Trauma Services (CATS) ambulances in the national capital, officials said.

A series of health services and facilities were launched on Thursday as part of ‘Sewa Pakhwada’ (service fortnight), an initiative dedicated to honouring Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 75th birthday.

The announcements, made in the presence of Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh, marked a significant expansion of healthcare accessibility, transparency, and modernisation in the capital, the officials said.

Apart from unveiling a comprehensive health package, the chief minister also launched an organ transplant awareness portal, 40 TrueNat machines, 10 PathoDetect machines, and 27 hand-held X-ray machines to strengthen early TB detection and treatment across Delhi.

To enhance emergency medical response, Gupta flagged off 11 CATS ambulances, taking the city’s fleet to 277.

The chief minister said 53 more such ambulances are expected to be launched in October, and eventually the fleet will be scaled up to 1,000.

“Eleven ambulances have been launched today. By October, 53 more will be added. We are working to take the total strength to 1,000 to ensure every resident has timely access to emergency medical services,” she said.

The chief minister also announced Delhi’s first organ donation portal designed to bring transparency and encourage citizens to pledge their organs to save countless lives.

Explaining the new initiative, she said the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO) has now provided Delhi with an official platform for organ donation.

“Anyone who wishes to donate can register, and after death, their organs can give new life to people waiting in line. On September 17, we launched an eye donation portal, and so far, 1,222 forms have been received, which is an achievement.

“For the first time in the national capital, organ and eye donation is being promoted in an organised way. We want to set an example that while alive, we should serve our country, and after death, we should continue helping people,” she said.

Gupta also inaugurated a District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC) at the Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya, which will provide timely screening and treatment to children with developmental challenges.

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Meanwhile, Health Minister Singh said Delhi has, for the first time, appointed 1,300 nurses and permanent medical superintendents in its hospitals, and streamlined medicine procurement through a fully transparent centralised system.

“In just 167 days, we built 168 Arogya Mandirs — almost one every day. We have doubled the dialysis capacity to 300 machines, added hospital beds, and ensured transparent procurement of medicines.

“These achievements were possible only because of the leadership of Rekha Gupta, who has made quality healthcare people’s right in Delhi,” Singh said.

The newly-launched CATS ambulances will improve emergency response time across Delhi, addressing a long-standing concern, while the organ donation portal will ensure transparency and allow citizens to contribute to saving lives, an official statement said.

The early intervention centre at Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya will focus on screening and addressing developmental challenges in children, it said.