Ambulance rates capped in Noida; helpline launched to register overcharging amid COVID-19

After Bihar, now the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration of Noida on Saturday fixed a cap on rates charged by ambulances during the COVID-19 pandemic. The action comes as there have been several reports of ambulance drivers charging a preposterous amount from helpless COVID-19 patients wanting to reach hospitals. The new rates are expected to come as a sign of relief for critical COVID-19 victims.

According to the new rates,

• Rs 1,000 will be charged for 10 km from those who travel without oxygen support.
• While ambulances with oxygen support will not charge more than Rs 1,000 for a maximum of 10 km and Rs 100 for every km thereafter.
• Ambulances with ventilator or Bi-pap support can charge Rs 2,500 for 10 km and thereafter, Rs 200 per km.

The administration has also put forward helpline numbers to file any case of misconduct.

"People can lodge a complaint on helpline number 18004192211 or 112 if they are overcharged by the ambulance service provider," added District Magistrate Suhas L Y in official order.

To ensure that the rules are not violated, the administration has appointed Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ganesh Prasad Saha and Transport Department officer Prashant Tiwari as nodal officers. 

Black-Marketing of ambulance

From all the cases of overcharging by ambulance drivers that have come forward, one recent case of Delhi where an ambulance owner charged Rs 1.2 Lakh from a patient came as a huge shocker. The police later arrested the accused who turned out to be an MBBS himself. The ambulance owner had initially demanded Rs 1.4 lakh however after the patient tried to negotiate the driver settled to reduce Rs 20,000. With audacity, the ambulance owner had also shared the receipt of the deal where it is mentioned the charge for traveling 350 km. 

Apart from the black-marketing of COVID essentials such as Remdesivir and Oxygen cylinders, such cases of ambulance give authorities a fresh state of worry. The country is already struggling with a surge of COVID-19 cases and miscreants are taking an advantage of it. Earlier, Bihar Government had fixed rates for ambulance duty to ensure no illegal activity.