Ambulance services loot low-income patients

The government’s failure to provide free ambulances at public hospitals has overburdened financially strained families

LAHORE:

For a society governed by avaricious principles, where the obvious decision between right and wrong is often clouded by materialistic interests, helping a dying human being too has become a matter of profit and loss, as ambulances in the provincial capital now come to life only at the sight of a cash-rich patient.
Despite official announcements from the Punjab government promising a nominal-fee ambulance service, following the introduction of Rescue 1122 in 2005, the purchase of ambulances by government hospitals in the province gradually came to a halt. Today, the paucity of free, low-cost ambulances is such that thousands of low-income families are struggling to transfer their patients and deceased within the city.
Sakina Bibi, whose daughter was delivered of a baby girl at the Ganga Ram Hospital, shared the difficulty her family was facing in taking the recovering new mother back home, "The government ambulance is in disrepair while the private ambulance services are demanding Rs4,000, which is beyond our means. We are poor people. We had to borrow money for our daughter’s delivery. From where will we bring the funds for the ambulance?” bemoaned Sakina.
Similarly, Naeem Amir, whose son was admitted at the Services Hospital following an accident, expressed his frustration at the lack of free ambulance services. "We need to take our child from Jail Road to Mughalpura, but the private ambulance service is demanding Rs3,500, which is unaffordable for us. Do they expect us to carry the patient on our shoulders?” riled Amir.
The ordeal was no less daunting for Ali Ahmed, who struggled hard to find an affordable ambulance for transporting the body of his deceased relative, who succumbed to heart failure at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology. "The hospital only provides ambulance facilities to those with recommendations or connections. Everyone else is forced to rely on private ambulances,” lamented Ahmed.
Shah Muhammad, a private ambulance driver revealed that within the city, fares ranged from Rs50-120 per kilometre for intra-city travel and additional features, such as air conditioning and oxygen supply, incurred an extra charge of Rs20 per kilometre while for services outside the city, the rates increased to Rs120-150 per kilometre. "In government hospitals, only ambulances from charitable organizations like Edhi and Chhipa offer free or nominal-charge services within the city. All other ambulances charge a fee, a portion of which is paid to the hospital management,” disclosed Muhammad.
"The connivance of the hospital management has allowed private ambulances to loot poor people. It is heart-breaking to see impoverished households struggling to pay Rs 10,000 to 20,000 for transporting the body of their loved one to their home. Therefore, the government must restore the free ambulance service,” urged the head of an NGO.

According to records obtained by the Express Tribune, ambulance allocation varied across nearly 4,572 healthcare facilities across Punjab, with large hospitals typically owning 12 to 15 ambulances and the smaller ones offering five to seven. Similarly, Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) hospitals usually had two to three ambulances and Rural Health Centres (RHCs) were allocated one ambulance each while Basic Health Units (BHUs) and dispensaries did not have any dedicated ambulances available. Data further indicated that over 35 per cent of ambulances across small and large hospitals were in disrepair due to a lack of departmental funds for maintenance.
Although Dr Muhammad Al Fareed Zafar, Principal of the PGMI General Hospital announced the launch of a 24/7 shuttle ambulance service, he clarified that the facility was exclusively available for transferring patients within the hospital premises only.
Speaking to the Express Tribune on the matter, a spokesperson from the Punjab Health Department conceded that currently no government hospital was offering free ambulance services. “However, the Chief Minister of Punjab has arranged a free air ambulance service in the province, catering to patients requiring emergency medical attention,” justified the official.