Jaipur: While government has included (empanelled) private hospitals in its flagship schemes, its ambulances transport patients only to government hospitals. The ambulances under 108 emergency response services are not allowed to carry patients to private hospitals. Health activists have demanded a change in this policy and in emergency situations, an ambulance must be allowed to take the patient to the nearest hospital, even if it is a private one.
Even if a patient has suffered a heart attack and it calls 108 ambulance service, the ambulance will not take the patient to a private hospital closest to the spot, which has all the facilities, but the patient will be taken to a government hospital which may not have the “necessary” facilities to save the patient’s life.
“Access to ambulance services plays a critical role in emergency health care and with so many private hospitals empanelled with government’s Chiranjeevi health insurance scheme in the state now, provisioning public ambulance services to transfer patients to private hospitals can be seriously considered,” said Chhaya Pachauli, state coordinator, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), an umbrella organisation of health rights and social activists. Since allowing government ambulances to take patients to private hospital have chances of its misuse, the activists are demanding that it should be done with riders. tnn
Even if a patient has suffered a heart attack and it calls 108 ambulance service, the ambulance will not take the patient to a private hospital closest to the spot, which has all the facilities, but the patient will be taken to a government hospital which may not have the “necessary” facilities to save the patient’s life.
“Access to ambulance services plays a critical role in emergency health care and with so many private hospitals empanelled with government’s Chiranjeevi health insurance scheme in the state now, provisioning public ambulance services to transfer patients to private hospitals can be seriously considered,” said Chhaya Pachauli, state coordinator, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), an umbrella organisation of health rights and social activists. Since allowing government ambulances to take patients to private hospital have chances of its misuse, the activists are demanding that it should be done with riders. tnn
