BENGALURU: The state government on Thursday decided to remove area restrictions for 108 ambulances operating under the Arogya Kavacha scheme, which has been extended for seven years. The decisions were taken during a cabinet meeting.
Until now, 108 ambulances were assigned a specific area of operation and they reportedly refused to attend to patients’ calls that required them to leave their zones. There were also instances in which an ambulance with a patient on board travelled to only a certain point and waited for the emergency vehicle from that jurisdiction to take things forward, said law and parliamentary affairs minister JC Madhuswamy.
“We have removed the area restriction. Ambulances can now travel to the designated point,” he added.
The government extended the Arogya Kavacha scheme after modifying some guidelines. It said that the patient should pick the hospital, not the ambulance staff. “If the patient wants to go to a particular hospital and is ready to pay for the treatment, the ambulance staff must oblige. If the patient is poor, then they should be taken to referral hospitals,” Madhuswamy said. The cabinet has scrapped the agreement with BR Shetty Ventures, which is owned by Dubai-based businessman BR Shetty, to develop Jog Falls at a cost of Rs 450 crore. The agreement was struck in 2017. “Since there was no progress in the project, we decided to scrap the pact,” Madhuswamy said.
Until now, 108 ambulances were assigned a specific area of operation and they reportedly refused to attend to patients’ calls that required them to leave their zones. There were also instances in which an ambulance with a patient on board travelled to only a certain point and waited for the emergency vehicle from that jurisdiction to take things forward, said law and parliamentary affairs minister JC Madhuswamy.
“We have removed the area restriction. Ambulances can now travel to the designated point,” he added.
The government extended the Arogya Kavacha scheme after modifying some guidelines. It said that the patient should pick the hospital, not the ambulance staff. “If the patient wants to go to a particular hospital and is ready to pay for the treatment, the ambulance staff must oblige. If the patient is poor, then they should be taken to referral hospitals,” Madhuswamy said. The cabinet has scrapped the agreement with BR Shetty Ventures, which is owned by Dubai-based businessman BR Shetty, to develop Jog Falls at a cost of Rs 450 crore. The agreement was struck in 2017. “Since there was no progress in the project, we decided to scrap the pact,” Madhuswamy said.
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