The Royal Audit Authority (RAA) is recommending service providers like the health ministry, police, RSTA and Department of Roads come up with a single national helpline number to provide effective emergency services to the public. The RAA has underscored this in its report on performance audit on the safe and sustainable road transport system, which was published this summer.
The report reasons that currently there are different toll-free numbers which only confuse the people and land up calling the wrong helpline to seek emergency services.
For instance, if a person is badly injured in a car accident, the first and foremost thing to do is to call up an ambulance hotline number. But not many people remember the helpline.
Then, to inform the police about the accident, one must dial a different toll-free number.
Likewise, there are many other emergency helpline numbers such as 113 to seek assistance from the police, 110 for fire brigade, 1250 for electricity services and 1255 for financial services.
According to the service receivers, all these multiple emergency helpline numbers hinder them from receiving prompt services.
“For example, there is an accident. There are so many numbers that a person can call for the ambulance service, 113 for the police and there is another toll-free number for traffic. But during such circumstances, we don’t remember these numbers. If there is one uniform number for different services, then we can remember and dial the numbers immediately and explain things,” tells one of the residents in the capital, Passang Wangdi.
Others also cite similar issues.
“There are so many toll-free numbers; for traffic and ambulances like 113 and 112. When there are too many numbers to call, we don’t really remember the number instantly. In foreign countries, there is one number like 911. Likewise, if there is a single emergency number in Bhutan, it will be of immense help to us,” says another resident in Thimphu, Ngawang Penden.
“In times of emergency, it would be convenient to have just one emergency number because it is too hard to remember several numbers. Sometimes, when we call the hospital, it goes to the fire brigade and when we call the fire brigade, it goes somewhere to telecom,” adds Duk Maya Sharma, who also lives in Thimphu.
The report further says Bhutan is one of the many countries in the world where people need to call different numbers for emergency services. This delays services to the public in times of emergency.
Heeding the recommendation, the health ministry, police, RSTA and roads department under the works and human settlement met last month to develop an action plan.
They agreed to draft an SOP- which is a “Standard Operating Procedure,” to coordinate and direct any emergency call from the public to the relevant agencies.
Samten Dolkar
Edited by Pema Lhaden
