Robert Bosch inks pact with GVK-EMRI

German auto-tech major Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions (RBEI) on Wednesday signed an MoU with GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute (GVK-EMRI), in a bid to further the creation of the ecosystem meant to provide emergency call (eCall) services across India.

Bosch’s eCall is a centralised emergency response handling system covering all major public safety answering points that include hospitals, police, and fire services. The application’s priority is to mobilise quick response in severe accidents or life-threatening situations on the road.

“Road fatalities have been a big issue in India and here is an effort to work towards providing quicker help to the persons concerned. The priority is to reduce the time between the accident and the time when help arrives,” RBEI President and Managing Director Vijay Ratnaparkhe said.

In the event of such an accident, an emergency call is automatically sent to the 24/7 Bosch Service Centre. Simultaneously, data containing the vehicle details, location, time and direction of travel will be transmitted. The service centre contacts the driver via a speech unit. If it is not possible to set up a voice connection following an eCall, the Bosch associate notifies rescue directly.

Meanwhile, GVK-EMRI operates around 11,000 ambulances (as part of its ‘108 Emergency Response Service’) across 17 states. A voice connection is also established with GVK-EMRI-operated dedicated emergency control centre facilitating ambulance assignment.