Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar called for putting an end to the nexus between ambulance drivers and private hospitals.
Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar (File Photo)
Speaking after dedicating 262 new ambulances, he said, "The ambulance drivers have an underhand pact with private hospitals and they take all accident patients to private hospitals instead of government hospitals."
"There are so many such incidents. Once they are taken to private hospitals, patients end up paying huge bills while they could have received treatment in a government hospital at a much lower price. In many cases, the private hospital bills run into tens of lakhs. Relatives of the accident victims come to MLAs seeking monetary help on many occasions. We seek funds from the Chief Ministers fund or sometimes we pay from our pocket. All this hardship could be avoided if ambulance drivers take accident victims to government hospitals," he explained.
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The government hospitals in Karnataka are a role model to the whole nation, it is important that such advanced facilities must be made use of.
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The government hospitals in Karnataka are a role model to the whole nation, it is important that such advanced facilities must be made use of.
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Karnataka has one of the highest numbers of medical colleges in the country and produces over 10,000 doctors.
He called upon the Health department to provide proper instructions to ambulance drivers, staff and ambulance contractors so that such incidents do not take place in the future. The Department can fix GPS in ambulances and provide suitable directions when a patient is picked up and the officials must monitor regularly.
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Such incidents are highly prevalent in Kanakapura area and that is the reason a government medical college is needed for the region. A government medical college and hospital would save accident victims and other patients of financial hardship.
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.
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