Sri Vijaya Puram, Jan 6: The Organization for South and South East Asia Development (OFSSEAD) has formally proposed the establishment of Tourism Medical Response Units (TMRU) across major tourist destinations of Andaman and Nicobar Islands to strengthen emergency medical access for tourists in geographically remote beaches, forest trekking zones and island locations. With the continuous growth in domestic and international tourist arrivals, OFSSEAD has highlighted the urgent need for rapid on-spot medical response systems to prevent fatal delays during drowning incidents, cardiac emergencies, accidents, dehydration and other medical emergencies frequently reported at popular tourist locations.
The proposed TMRU network aims to deploy strategically located mobile medical units, boat ambulances and QR-based SOS emergency access points, supported by AED, oxygen and trauma care facilities, to ensure immediate medical attention until hospital referral is completed. A centralized Tourist Emergency Control Room is also proposed to coordinate live tracking, hospital bed availability and multilingual tourist support, thereby creating a seamless and time-bound emergency response chain across the Islands.
This initiative is being recommended for implementation through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partnerships involving hospitality groups, airport and port operators, shipping and telecom companies, making the project financially sustainable without imposing any additional burden on government resources. The project is expected to significantly reduce preventable fatalities, enhance disaster preparedness and strengthen public health outreach in remote island regions.
The Tourism Medical Response Unit network is envisioned to position Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a “Safe Tourism Destination,” improving international destination credibility, encouraging high-value tourism, strengthening investor confidence in hospitality and cruise tourism sectors, and creating skilled local employment opportunities in medical and emergency response services.
OFSSEAD has requested the Chief Secretary, Andaman & Nicobar Administration, to facilitate consultations for early adoption of this life-saving tourism safety infrastructure and has expressed its readiness to present a detailed project concept note for further evaluation and implementation.