Single point of contact, uniform tariff for ambulances on Chandigarh admn’s mind

To discuss the mechanism to operate the ambulances, the Chandigarh administration will hold a meeting with ambulance service providers and officials of various government hospitals

The Chandigarh administration is planning to introduce a uniform tariff system to operate ambulances in the city so as to ensure better coordination among service providers and needy patients, at a reasonable price.

There is a need for better coordination mechanisms and there should be one single point of contact for ambulance providers, said Chandigarh health secretary Yashpal Garg. (Biplov Bhuyan/HT PHOTO)

At present, UT has only six ambulances dedicated to free transportation of patients to government health facilities. Besides these six ambulances, which are run by Government Multi Specialty Hospital, Sector-16, through National Ambulances Services Number-112, there are non-government organisations (NGOs) and charitable trusts that operate ambulances but for a set charge.

To discuss the mechanism to operate the ambulances, the Chandigarh administration will hold a meeting with ambulance service providers and officials of various government hospitals.

UT health secretary Yashpal Garg said, “As per information available with the UT health department, the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) has ten ambulances, which are used for intra-institute transfer (to transfer patients inside the institute) and VIP duties. Of these, three are equipped with advanced life support (ALS) while the remaining are basic life support (BLS) ambulances. Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, has 11 ambulances which are used for intra-hospital transfers, VIP duties and shifting patients to PGIMER. Only in some cases, needy patients are shifted from hospital to their homes.”

He added, “At GMSH-16 and its allied civil hospitals in Sector 22, 45 and Manimajra, we have eight ambulances which are used to refer critical cases to higher centres or for back referrals from tertiary care hospitals. These are also used for shifting patients, including pregnant women, new mothers, patients with co-morbidities, and elderly patients, from hospital to their homes. The ambulances are also deputed along with medical staff as and when required by the Chandigarh administration for public events and official functions in addition to VIP duties.”

Of the total ambulances with GMSH-16, four are stationed at the hospital while two are stationed at the Manimajra civil hospital, and one each at Sector 22 and 45.

“GMSH-16 has only six BLS ambulances, which are operated through National Ambulances Services Number-112, to transport patients from their home to the hospitals but the number is very low. In February, as many as 1,150 requests were made for ambulances through phone calls,” said the UT health secretary, adding that all ambulances are GPS-enabled for real-time tracking and the average response time is 10 to 15 minutes.

“Besides the national ambulance services, Chandigarh has seven ambulance service providers—including Nav Yuvak Umang Foundation (3 ambulances), Nishkam Seva Jatta, Chandigarh Sewa Society (7 ambulances), Indian Red Cross Society (14 ambulances), Sewa Bharti (3 ambulances), Aggarwal Sabha (one) and Sanathan Dharam Samiti (one ambulance). To avail these ambulances, people need to directly call on their phone numbers or search for ambulances near the hospital premises where these are generally parked,” said Garg, adding that though the phone numbers of these ambulances are displayed at the hospitals, it is not an efficient and reliable process.

“There is a need for better coordination mechanisms and there should be one single point of contact for ambulance providers. Since many organisations are involved in providing the services, it would be better to have some uniform tariff structure in consultation with these service providers. A meeting will be held to discuss this,” said Garg.