With 108 ambulance services attending to COVID-19 cases, the State government has roped in Ola and Uber to provide medical emergency services for patients who are advised non-ambulatory prolonged treatment.

Around 200 taxis from both app-based aggregators will ferry patients to and from hospitals.

The initiative will help patients, who have medical emergencies and require procedures such as dialysis, chemotherapy, organ transplant, radiation therapy, and ensure that they are not inconvenienced, said Health and Family Welfare Minister B. Sriramulu, who flagged off the service on Tuesday.

Vehicles can be booked by calling dedicated numbers 9154153917, 9154153918, or by logging on to the respective apps.

“Services provided will include only shifting of patients from home to hospital, and hospital to home, and not for any other medical emergency, including suspected and positive cases of COVID-19,” he added.

The cost for this service, which will be operational till April 15, will be minimum, without any extra service charge or additional charge.

Patients who use this service can register their grievances against drivers who demand additional charges with the Deputy Director (EMRI) at 9154153917/18/19.

Masks mandatory

“It is compulsory that the driver and the patient’s attendant wear masks for protection. It is also compulsory for the air conditioning in each of these vehicles to be switched off and the window panes to be rolled down,” said Pankaj Kumar Pandey, Commissioner, Department of Health and Family Welfare, government of Karnataka.