A private ambulance at Patna Medical College and Hospital on Tuesday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) has decided to tighten the noose around private ambulances operating from its campus and introduce a uniform fare structure for them.

The decision comes a day after The Telegraph highlighted how under-equipped ambulances fleece patients and double as hearses in the absence of any definite administrative policy regarding their operations. Principal secretary, health, Vyasji had said on Sunday: “I will have to check whether or not there are regulations for private ambulances.”

The PMCH administration has planned to introduce a uniform fare structure for all ambulance operators to cover fixed distances. At present, a fleet of ambulances operating from the health hub campus charge anything between Rs 200 and Rs 600.

According to sources, the disparity in the fare of private ambulances is huge. While some private ambulance operators charge Rs 400 for transporting patients from the PMCH to Patna City, others charge Rs 600 for the same distance.

PMCH deputy superintendent Bimal Karak said: “Private ambulances, operating from the hospital campus, randomly charge exorbitant fares but would soon be a thing of the past. Our administration would soon hold a meeting with the district magistrate to develop a system like Delhi, wherein private ambulances charge uniform fare for covering a certain distance. To avail the services of private ambulances, people would need to register at a designated place in the PMCH.”

“We would allow only 15 private non-LPG-driven ambulances to operate from our campus. Around 30-40 ambulances operate from our campus now, many of which run on LPG, thereby endangering lives of patients. Doctors often face problems parking their own vehicles on the campus because of too many private ambulances. Regulating the number of ambulances would help us keep tabs on their operators and wrongdoings,” added Karak.

However, a few PMCH doctors are sceptical about the health hub move. A doctor of the health hub, wishing anonymity, said: “The administration should have thought about removing touts from the campus. Private ambulance operators collude with touts, who, in turn, persuade patients into going to private hospitals on the pretext that treatment facilities at PMCH are not good.”