Patna: The State health department is set to deploy ambulances at toll plazas across the state to ensure faster medical assistance for road accident victims, officials said.
The move is aimed at improving emergency response times and reducing fatalities by providing immediate treatment to those injured on highways.
According to department estimates, timely medical intervention can significantly lower mortality in accident cases. The initiative comes as Bihar has recorded a year-on-year rise in road accident deaths.
Official data shows that fatalities increased by 6.12% in 2025 compared with 2024, rising from 9,124 deaths to 9,682.
Trauma centres planned along highways
Alongside ambulance deployment, the state government is also accelerating plans to establish trauma centres on National Highways (NH) and State Highways (SH).
Officials said these centres will provide specialised treatment to accident victims and strengthen emergency care infrastructure along major road corridors.
Once the trauma centres become operational, each toll plaza is expected to have a permanently stationed ambulance.
ICU facilities at upgraded trauma centres
The health department has directed districts to ensure that 11 upgraded trauma centres begin ICU operations by July 15.
The expansion is intended to improve critical care capacity for severe road accident cases.
Technology for ambulance tagging
The department is also working on a technology-based ambulance tagging system linked to highway accident management.
Officials said the system would help coordinate ambulance movement and ensure patients are transported to the most appropriate hospitals without delay.
Existing ambulance response times
Bihar currently has more than 1,500 government ambulances and over 2,000 private ambulances registered in the state.
The government said all public ambulances have been mapped to improve accessibility. At present, ambulance response times are around 20 minutes in urban areas and 30 minutes in rural areas.
Six Bihar districts among high-risk zones
Six districts in Bihar — Patna, Gaya, Nalanda, Muzaffarpur, Saran and East Champaran — are among the country’s 100 districts reporting the highest number of road accidents.
The state has identified these districts as “zero fatality” districts, with a focus on reducing accident-related deaths through targeted interventions.
