Noida (UP), May 17 (PTI) Twenty auto-rickshaws fitted with oxygen support started in Gautam Buddh Nagar on Monday to ferry COVID-19 patients to hospitals, officials said.

The service, which will be paid and available round the clock, is part of an initiative of the Noida Traffic Police with support from Fortis Hospital, the officials said.

“The needy people can avail the facility by using Traffic Police's helpline 9971009001,” a police spokesperson said.

Five of the 20 “auto-ambulances” were dispatched for the service immediately after their inauguration Monday in presence of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ganesh Prasad Saha and Fortis officials.

The drivers of the “auto-ambulances” have also been trained to perform basic emergency health support to patients like cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to support breathing in patients, the official added.

A Traffic Police official said the service would be available round the clock and the auto-rickshaws would charge passengers the usual fare. PTI KIS

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)