Ambulances are the lifeline between life and death and play a critical role in pre-hospital emergency medical care in transporting patients to health facilities within the golden hour. In India approximately, 24,012 people die every day because of delays in getting medical assistance on time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, issues of unavailability of ambulances, not coming on time, being understaffed, and overcharging have been highlighted in the media. The Indian Government developed the National Ambulance Code to standardize the constructional and functional requirements of road ambulances. The existing regulations fall short on many fronts with regard to accountability for patient care and safety, ensuring an ambulance reaches on time equipped with facilities, life saving medicines, trained personnel and fixing rates among others. The government has implemented schemes to improve ambulance services; however, there is a critical need to review the existing regulations and implementation to provide timely care to save lives.