CATS ambulance services face major hurdles on way
13 Nov 2013 11:58 PM GMT
Medical experts strongly believe that Delhi still has a long way to go when it comes to catering to medical emergencies.
‘We get around 1,000 calls every day, of which we are able to attend to only 600 cases and remaining is handled by the police. All offer basic equipments like stretchers, ventilators, monitors, oxygen cylinders and advanced blood pressure machines. Also, CATS ambulances are handling more than 3, 65, 000 calls every year and cater to around 4 lakh people every month. So given the work load, efficient service does remain a challenge. We are working on remedying those issues,’ said Sherddin Khan, zonal ambulance officer, CATS.
However officials at IMA (Indian medical association) have their own version to narrate, which differs drastically from CATS.
‘CATS ambulances are more like an ordinary transport vehicle and can’t be referred to as proper ambulances. Besides, the numbers provided by CATS are vague and arbitrary. Sadly, there is no policy or system to formulate the number of ambulances to hospitals and the apex court order does not specify details of allocation of funds. While 70 percent of medical expenses are incurred by private hospitals, the rest is borne out of the patient’s pocket. Indeed, private hospitals offer better ambulances than CATS, even if they are more expensive ,’ said Dr. Narendra Saini, general secretary, Indian Medical Association.
‘Our health budget is mere 0.9 percent of the GDP and only 33, 0000 cr is dedicated to hospitals, which is insufficient. Most hospitals don’t have ambulances at all, and those that do lack crucial equipments like blood pressure machines, emergency kits, medicines, first-aid boxes and most importantly an expert para-medical staff,’ Dr Saini added.
The secretary to medical superintendent, GB Pant hospital (government funded), said, ‘As of now, we have two ambulances at our disposal and both are fully operational. For 15 km, we charge Rs 350 and it also has all important medical equipments needed to deal with emergency cases,’
Meanwhile, a hospital staff from a privately funded Saket City hospital, said, ‘For the provision of ALS, we charge Rs 2,950 for first 10 km and beyond that it is Rs 45 per km. For BLS it is Rs 1,800 for first 10 km and beyond that it is Rs 45 per km’.
‘We get around 1,000 calls every day, of which we are able to attend to only 600 cases and remaining is handled by the police. All offer basic equipments like stretchers, ventilators, monitors, oxygen cylinders and advanced blood pressure machines. Also, CATS ambulances are handling more than 3, 65, 000 calls every year and cater to around 4 lakh people every month. So given the work load, efficient service does remain a challenge. We are working on remedying those issues,’ said Sherddin Khan, zonal ambulance officer, CATS.
However officials at IMA (Indian medical association) have their own version to narrate, which differs drastically from CATS.
‘CATS ambulances are more like an ordinary transport vehicle and can’t be referred to as proper ambulances. Besides, the numbers provided by CATS are vague and arbitrary. Sadly, there is no policy or system to formulate the number of ambulances to hospitals and the apex court order does not specify details of allocation of funds. While 70 percent of medical expenses are incurred by private hospitals, the rest is borne out of the patient’s pocket. Indeed, private hospitals offer better ambulances than CATS, even if they are more expensive ,’ said Dr. Narendra Saini, general secretary, Indian Medical Association.
‘Our health budget is mere 0.9 percent of the GDP and only 33, 0000 cr is dedicated to hospitals, which is insufficient. Most hospitals don’t have ambulances at all, and those that do lack crucial equipments like blood pressure machines, emergency kits, medicines, first-aid boxes and most importantly an expert para-medical staff,’ Dr Saini added.
The secretary to medical superintendent, GB Pant hospital (government funded), said, ‘As of now, we have two ambulances at our disposal and both are fully operational. For 15 km, we charge Rs 350 and it also has all important medical equipments needed to deal with emergency cases,’
Meanwhile, a hospital staff from a privately funded Saket City hospital, said, ‘For the provision of ALS, we charge Rs 2,950 for first 10 km and beyond that it is Rs 45 per km. For BLS it is Rs 1,800 for first 10 km and beyond that it is Rs 45 per km’.
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