Delhi Government Slashes Ambulance Charges For Covid Patients

With the capital city being one of the worst COVID hit cities in the country, illegitimate exploitation of COVID resources, medical supplies and ambulance services has come out to be a grave issue.

In a recent report by India Today, it was revealed that ambulance operators were charging exorbitant amounts of money from COVID patients.

The probe found them to be soliciting more than Rs 1,000 per kilometre to transport a patient in an ICU vehicle.

With the overall caseload of the city surging to 12,73,035 and the fatalities going up to 18,398, according to Delhi’s health bulletin, the Delhi government’s decision to cap ambulance rates for COVID patients comes as a much-needed decision.

On May 7, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that his government is capping maximum prices on ambulance rates that private ambulance services can levy. The chief minister underscored that strict action will follow against the violators reported NDTV. The CM took to Twitter to announce the Delhi government’s decision.

 It has come to our notice that private ambulance services in Delhi are charging illegitimately. To avoid this practise, Delhi govt has capped maximum prices that private ambulance services can charge. Strict actions will be taken against those who violate the order,  

— Arvind Kejriwal, CM, Delhi

According to new rules, the maximum rate for Private PTA (Patient Transport Ambulance) has been capped at ₹ 1,500 per call up to 10 km and ₹ 100 per extra kilometre. The Basic Life Support Ambulance fare has been fixed at ₹ 2,100 per 10 kilometres and subsequently ₹ 100 for every extra kilometre. The fare for Advanced Life Support Ambulance, the third type, has been capped at 4,100 up to 10 km and ₹ 100 for every extra kilometre reports NDTV.

The authorities have also converted the city’s three-wheeled autorickshaws into makeshift ambulances to aid covid patients’s commute. The ferry service is said to be free of cost. The order released by the government warns of strict actions against the perpetrators as it states that any private ambulance service provider/operator/owner or driver found to be violating these norms would face cancellation of the driver’s driving licence and cancellation of the registration certificate of the ambulance.

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