Private ambulances fleece patients in Ggn

Taking advantage of the lack of effective public ambulance system in the city, the private ambulances are charging exorbitant sum from the patients.

A standard rate being charged by private ambulances in the city is rupees 100 per kilometre.

However, even this rate is subjected to increase based on the critical condition of the patients.

With most of the ambulance commuting a total distance of 10 -20 kilometres, many patients are forced to pay a hefty amount ranging in thousands of rupees.

The state government has reduced the transportation taxes on the ambulances from six percent to four percent, but the ambulances have refused to refuse its rates.

The staff under ambulance union had recently protested against the government's move of raising the taxation rate to six percent.

"The increase of rates will be passed on to patients," stated the union.

"Taking into cognisance that the ambulance union are not reducing their rates, a taxation rate will be increased if the conditions remain the same," said an official from the State Transportation department.

There are over 500 private ambulances plying in the city including the 100 owned by the private hospitals. In comparison to the private ambulances, there are only 16 government owned ambulances in the city.

Out of the 16, only 13 ambulances provide services under basic life support system and three under the advanced life support system. Most of the 13 government public ambulances are poorly maintained.

Recently, a 5-year-old child succumbed to his illness as he was not quickly commuted to Safdarjung Hospital because of an ambulance at Civil Hospital Gurugram which failed to start.