Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], October 17 : Boat ambulance services operating along Gujarat’s coastline recorded 777 emergency medical interventions between April 2018 and September 2026, providing critical medical assistance to residents of remote coastal areas and island communities, said a Gujarat government release on Friday. 
According to the Gujarat CMO, the specialised boat ambulance service plays a vital role in maritime emergency response, helping ensure access to healthcare for people living in areas that are more accessible by waterways than by road.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government has focused on extending healthcare services to people regardless of where they live, said the Gujarat CMO. 
“Under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, we are committed to providing healthcare services to every corner of the state, including at sea. Boat ambulances have been deployed to bridge healthcare gaps for island residents, coastal villages and offshore fishing crews. The fleet has delivered critical pre-hospital care and life-saving transportation across the region,” said Praful Pansheriya, Health Minister, Gujarat. 
The Gujarat government operates two boat ambulances, one at Okha in Devbhoomi Dwarka district and the other at Porbandar.
To improve response efficiency and reduce the time taken to transport patients from the scene to a hospital, boat ambulances have been deployed in locations where waterways provide better access than roads. The service operates as an integral part of the 108 Emergency Response Service.
Out of the 777 emergency missions recorded during the period, the Okha unit responded to 720, which accounted for approximately 92.7% of the total missions, while its Porbandar counterpart handled the remaining 57 missions.
Pregnancy-related complications were the leading reason for emergency medical transport, accounting for 355 cases, or approximately 45.7% of all recorded interventions. The Okha unit handled 350 of these cases, while the Porbandar unit attended to five. According to officials, the pregnancy-related cases mostly came from Beyt Dwarka island, as there was no road connectivity early on in the area. 
The figures highlight the role of boat ambulances in providing emergency maternal healthcare to women living in isolated island communities where access to medical facilities by road is limited or unavailable.
Severe abdominal pain was the second most common reason for emergency dispatches, accounting for 105 cases, or approximately 13.5% of the total. Of these, 91 were handled by the Okha unit and 14 by the Porbandar unit.
Non-vehicular trauma, including injuries sustained on fishing vessels, at docks and in coastal areas, accounted for 83 interventions, or approximately 10.7% of all cases. The Okha unit responded to 71 such emergencies, while the Porbandar unit handled 12.
Cardiac emergencies accounted for another 82 cases, representing approximately 10.6% of the total. The Okha unit attended to 77 cases, while the Porbandar unit responded to five.
According to the Gujarat Government, the deployment of boat ambulances forms part of efforts to strengthen emergency medical access in Gujarat’s coastal regions, particularly for people living on islands and those working at sea. By providing pre-hospital care and facilitating patient transfers to healthcare facilities, the service helps address the challenges posed by geographical isolation and limited road connectivity.