Motorcycle ambulance
At the time, the advantages of light weight, speed, and mobility over larger vehicles was cited as the motive for the use of motorcycles with sidecar in this role.
[9] The British Red Cross Society used an 8 brake horsepower (6.0 kilowatts) NUT motorcycle with a double-deck sidecar similar to the US version.
[11] The Knightsbridge Animal Hospital and Institute, London, was using a sidecar ambulance to transport dogs in 1912; this mode was still in use in 1937 by the Maryland Humane Society.
[18] In South Australia, there are paramedics who ride on a cycle or motorcycle; they complement the regular ambulances and are used in areas which might have less space to accommodate a bigger vehicle.
[24][25] Fire departments in other states, such as Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Pernambuco, have also adopted motorcycle ambulances since 2008.
[26][27][28] In August 2008, SAMU, the federal emergency medical services, purchased 400 motorcycle ambulances to be deployed nationwide between December 2008 and 2009.
The motorcycle units are used as: Civil Protection: (detector, pilot, security vehicle for columns of operational units); medical service at major events, such as cycling races, running events, city festivals, church conventions, BMW Marathon Berlin; First Responder; Jam aid; public relations.
[31][32][33][34] The Okoa Project began operating and manufacturing tricycle motorcycle ambulances in Ghana in February 2020, when they established their second international post in Tumu, Sissala East District.
The Okoa Project is a non-profit dedicated to providing critical, life saving emergency transport to maternity patients, as well as all those ill or injured in need of essential health services.
In April 2020, The Okoa Project began its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, using their motorcycle ambulances to distribute hand washing stations, soap, and personal protective equipment (PPE) to rural communities in the Sissala East District in Northern Ghana.
According to the book Rescue Mission which is written by an Emergency Medical Assistant of Hong Kong Fire Services Department, the HKFSD established the first motorcycle programme in 1982.
Motorcycle ambulance launched in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, India, during 1998 by social worker Karimul Haque, who received the Padma Shri award in 2017.
As part of the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID) wider £50 million country programme (2009), they are putting in place among other things a new motorcycle ambulance service.
[40][41] Sarah Brown, Global Patron of the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood said: This is yet another great example of Britain leading the way in saving mothers' lives.
The key to changing the survival chances of mothers and infants is a better investment in health services that vulnerable women can reach.
Lightweight off-road motorcycles, equipped with a sidecar holding a stretcher for the patient, have been found to be an efficient supplement, but not replacement for, four-wheel drive SUV ambulances.
The lighter sidecar combinations are better able to cope with poor roads and areas that become impassable to heavier cars and trucks during the rainy season.
They are also a relatively cheap and effective option for referral of patients in developing countries, particularly in rural areas with little or no public transport.
The South African National Roads Agency through ER24 EMS operates Motorcycle Medical Response Units, these units use a Suzuki V-Strom 650 staffed and equipped at an Intermediate Life Support level to respond on the E-Toll freeway and stabilise patients whilst conventional ambulances make their way through traffic.
[47] In March 2009, through a partnership between UNICEF and the Government of Southern Sudan, a lifeline was extended to some pregnant women with the introduction of five motorcycle ambulances in the state of Eastern Equatoria.
[52] The Okoa Project began manufacturing motorcycle ambulance trailers in Mbeya, Tanzania in 2018, when they launched their first international post with partner The Olive Branch for Children.
[53] The Okoa Project is a non-profit dedicated to providing critical, life saving emergency transport to maternity patients, as well as all those ill or injured in need of essential health services.
In the Mbale town and district in Uganda, the Partnerships Overseas Networking Trust (PONT), initiated the deployment of motorcycle ambulances in December 2010.
Their Village Ambulance is a custom-built trailer that can easily attach to virtually any motorcycle or bicycle and is designed for rough terrain and the hard to reach places.
It was created to meet the medical transportation needs of rural communities and refugee settlements, with a primary focus on maternal / child health.
As of 2011[update], the motorcycles were deployed only for special events and times of unusually high traffic congestion, but the county planned to make them a regular system resource.
