Pvt ambulance service providers reluctant to ferry patients in city

Kolkata: With increase in the COVID-19 cases, private ambulance service providers in the city are reluctant to ferry non-Coronavirus patients from home to hospital.

While the relatives of the non-COVID-19 patients claimed ambulance owners are charging an extra amount for their services, the service providers pointed out that the severity of the outbreak has forced drivers and helpers to wear body suits and face shields, adding to the costs of patients.

"The ambulance

driver first refused to take my uncle, a heart patient, from my home to the hospital. After convincing for half an

hour, he agreed on condition of paying him Rs 2000 extra," Sushil Kumar, resident of Garia.

At present, depending upon the distance and size of the vehicle, the ambulance service providers are charging

between Rs 4,000 and Rs 15,000.

"At the time of taking the patient from the hospital, we don't know which disease the patient is suffering from. There are instances when a dialysis patient who went for check-up at the hospital was detected positive. That is why we have made compulsory wearing PPE Kit compulsory for drivers

and helpers while taking to

the hospital. Before the pre-lockdown period, we used to ferry around patients from home to hospital on a daily basis. But now only five patients in a week," said Mishra, a private ambulance service provider.

Around 102 Free Ambulance Service, an emergency medical transport service run by the government, caters COVID-19 patients.

"We cater non-COVID-19 patients. There are around 60- 70 private ambulances in the city. We make sure that the ambulance driver and helper are maintaining proper COVID-19 protocol," said Vikram Gill, a private ambulance service provider in south Kolkata.