Mumbai / Kolkata, Non 28: Manipal Hospitals Kolkata today announced the official launch of its Manipal Ambulance Response Service (MARS) in the city, marking a major milestone in strengthening emergency medical response across the region. As part of this expansion, Manipal Hospitals unveiled a robust fleet comprising 17 dedicated Manipal ambulances, including 5 Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) units and 12 Basic Life Support (BLS) units, along with 20 Kolkata Accident Response & Medical Assistance (KARMA) ambulances, which operates through a public–private partnership between Kolkata Police and Manipal Hospital EM Bypass, providing specialised emergency support for road-accident victims with rapid response and critical golden-hour intervention. Across its network, Manipal Hospitals operates over 100 MARS ambulances, responding to more than 500 emergency calls every day.
Core Strengths of MARS:
- Advanced ACLS and BLS ambulances equipped with critical life-saving equipment to ensure optimal patient care
- Round-the-clock operations managed by trained professionals
- 24/7 technology-driven Centralised Command Centre for rapid response
- 24/7 doctor assistance available during emergencies.
- Modern digitalized auto-assignment system for ambulances
- GPS tracking and real-time updates for each ambulance
- QR code-enabled smart tracking and location sharing
- Seamless integration with multiple hospitals within the Manipal network
- One of the largest private hospital ambulance fleets in West Bengal, comprising 17 state-of-the-art ambulances
- Clean, sanitized, and well-maintained ambulances ensuring patient safety and comfort.
The programme was graced by senior officials from the Kolkata and Bidhannagar Police Commissionerates, including – Shri Mukesh, IPS, Commissioner of Police, Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, Shri Rupesh Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police (TP), Kolkata Police, Shri Yeilwad Shrikant Jagannathrao, IPS, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Kolkata Police, Shri Nima Norbu Bhutia, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Bidhannagar City Police. Dignitaries from Manipal Hospitals, including Dr. Mabel Vasnaik, Chairperson, Consultant and Head, Emergency Medicine, Manipal Hospitals Bangalore, a key contributor to the MARS journey since its inception in 2014 and Mr. Madhur Gopal, Vice President – Marketing, Manipal Health Enterprise Pvt. Ltd. along with Dr. Indranil Das, Senior Consultant and HOD – Accident and Emergency Care, Manipal Hospital EM Bypass, Dr. Kishen Goel, Consultant and HOD – Emergency, Manipal Hospital Broadway, Dr. Sujoy Das Thakur, Consultant and In-Charge – Emergency Medicine, Manipal Hospital Mukundapur and Dr. Ayanabh Debgupta, Regional Chief Operating Officer (COO), Manipal Hospitals East were also present during the launch programme.
The MARS Initiative is Manipal’s Flagship pre-hospital emergency care programme, offering full pre-hospital intervention during the critical first hour after an injury, allowing access to timely and appropriate emergency services for all patients suffering from life-threatening illnesses. Furthermore, Manipal Hospitals has one of the most extensive, up-to-date ambulance fleets in India, all outfitted with ECG machines, ventilators, defibrillators, multi-parameter monitoring devices, syringe pumps, and other critical care technologies to facilitate the stabilization of patients enroute to the hospital.
Every MARS emergency call is triaged by a team of trained emergency response personnel who assess the emergency response level based on the identifying information provided to the MARS command centre and dispatch the nearest available ambulance. For emergencies requiring immediate intervention due to the potential for death or disability, emergency calls are escalated to an on-call physician (who is an emergency room physician and available 24/7) for clinical guidance regarding the emergency care that should be provided enroute to the hospital.
Each MARS ambulance driver is BLS certified, and each ambulance has two EMTs, trained to administer first aid and stabilise patients, as well as providing hospitals with live clinical updates to an ALS-certified doctor. This ensures continuous care from the point of request until the point of delivery at the hospital, and this level of care has been provided by Manipal for 25 years through their experience in providing emergency medical services.
In the event of critical or life-threatening emergencies, patients within Kolkata who require admission to any Manipal Hospitals unit in the city and use the MARS ambulance service will receive a complimentary drop-off to the hospital.
During his address, Dr. Indranil Das, shared, “In India, delayed medical care contributes significantly to adverse health outcomes, with over 50% of cardiac arrest patients reaching hospitals late. Here, timely medical assistance can make all the difference, especially in emergencies like cardiac arrests or accidents. In Kolkata, we are witnessing a significant rise in cardiac and neurological emergencies. In this scenario, the introduction of MARS is timely and essential. Our centralized monitoring and rapid deployment protocols allow us to reduce the response time drastically, improving survival rates especially in stroke and heart attack cases.”
Dr. Kishen Goel, added, “In emergency care, every minute saved can increase survival chances by up to 10%, especially in cardiac arrest, stroke, and respiratory emergencies. A major challenge in Kolkata has been the delay in initiating treatment before the patient reaches the hospital. MARS directly addresses this gap by enabling early medical intervention through advanced equipment and trained emergency specialists inside the ambulance itself. With real-time monitoring and a streamlined command centre, we are ensuring that critical care effectively begins at the patient’s doorstep, not after arrival at the hospital. This is a transformative step for the city’s emergency response ecosystem.”
Dr. Sujoy Das Thakur, further stated, “Kolkata’s trauma and accident burden has increased significantly over the last few years, and timely pre-hospital care can reduce mortality by nearly 25–30% in such cases. With a strengthened fleet of 16 Manipal ambulances supported by 40 KARMA ambulances, we now have one of the most extensive emergency response networks in Eastern India. Our teams are equipped and trained to manage high-acuity trauma, polytrauma, and complex accident emergencies, ensuring rapid stabilization and seamless transfer to the nearest Manipal Emergency Department. This integrated system will dramatically improve outcomes for critically injured patients.”
About the launch, Dr. Ayanabh Debgupta, said, “Global studies indicate that timely pre-hospital intervention can lower mortality in critical emergencies by up to 40%, while each minute of delay during a cardiac arrest reduces survival chances by 7–10%. These figures underscore the life-saving importance of rapid emergency response. The launch of MARS in Kolkata represents our commitment to elevating emergency healthcare delivery in Eastern India. This fleet expansion, combined with our highly trained emergency teams, will ensure that critical patients receive immediate, evidence-based care during the golden hour. Our goal is simple, save more lives by reaching patients faster.”
With MARS now fully operational in Kolkata, Manipal Hospitals East aims to redefine emergency responsiveness in the region, ensuring that expert care begins not at the hospital door, but the moment an emergency call is made.