Sergei Sobyanin congratulates Moscow’s ambulance service on its 105 th anniversary

On October 15, Moscow’s ambulance service turns 105 years old. Sergei Sobyanin congratulates its employees in his blog while sharing some plans for its further development.

“October the 15 th is a special date in the history of Moscow healthcare. The first ambulance team went on duty on this day in 1919. Since then, they have not stopped for a minute, and the number of calls they have received over 105 years cannot be counted, indeed. Professionalism, loyalty to their calling, a highly motivating awareness of ethical responsibility, and team spirit — all this is about you, employees of the Moscow ambulance service. Over this century, together with the city itself, you have been through fire and water more than once. And on behalf of all Muscovites, I congratulate you on your anniversary,” writes the Moscow Mayor.

Best equipment

Emergency care has changed significantly in more than 100 years. From the only duty team of the Puchkov Emergency and Urgent Medical Care Station, it has grown into the world’s largest and one of the most effective healthcare institution. Today, it employs about 11,000 people, over 1,000 crews taking around 12,000 visits every day.

Since 2014, Moscow has got ten ambulance substations, five of them in new districts, which have bought more than 200 new ambulance vehicles over the past three years, equipment of even ordinary crews approaching that of EMS vehicles. In 2023–2024 alone, they bought more than 1,400 expert-class defibrillator monitors, 700 lung ventilators, and over 1,600 portable electrocardiographs.

Advanced technologies

Introduction of advanced digital technologies makes a significant contribution to improving emergency medical services. 65 employees receive calls in the unified dispatch center from those who dial 103 and 112; on average, there are up to 16,000 calls per day and up to 20,000 on peak days. The response time is only 3 to 4 seconds, which is the fastest rate among the world’s megacities.

“The days when dispatchers used remote controls with toggle switches, and to get a new address for calling the team, they called from home phones or street pay phones are long gone. Walkie-talkies are obsolete, too; even personal smartphones are no longer needed to paramedics today. Information about a call is received on personal tablets connected to the Unified Medical Information and Analysis System, and artificial intelligence is used to create the shortest route and select a hospital,” Sergei Sobyanin explains.

The system knows which hospital has, say, an available angiograph machine or a MRI scanner. So, the ambulance will deliver the patient to the medical facility where the necessary equipment and specialists are waiting for them.

Until relatively recently, when going on a call, paramedics received a minimum of information about patients — just gender, age, and health complaints. Today, in most cases, they can scroll through electronic medical records while on the way and learn about chronic diseases, diagnoses, and test results, meaning they can get a clue in about the patient’s condition more quickly and accurately to provide assistance accordingly.

If hospitalization is required, the team transmits information about the patient’s condition to the hospital while still en route. So, doctors in the emergency room, who know the preliminary diagnosis in advance, can prepare everything necessary to begin treatment from the first minutes.

Improving emergency care

In accordance with the healthcare strategy until 2030, the Moscow Government continues to improve the ambulance service for Muscovites.

“Our immediate plans include further development of digital and telemedicine technologies, construction of new substations, and regular equipment upgrades,” adds the Moscow Mayor.

Ambulance drivers will receive comfortable, warm and utilitarian uniforms.