IMA Pune seeks expansion of 108 ambulance service for all hospitals

The Hospital Board of India and other associations have also supported IMA's stance. IMA representatives argued that limiting the emergency ambulance system to only empanelled institutions will undermine its core objective of ensuring prompt medical assistance. They pointed out that a majority of patients first approach smaller and mid-level private hospitals that do not fall under any government insurance scheme. Consequently, these facilities are unable to use the 108 ambulance network, leaving many patients without timely emergency transportation.

Dr Sunil Ingale, president, IMA, Pune chapter, told Medical Dialogues, “Providing ambulance service to take patients to government-approved hospitals is not enough. Most of the patients visit any nearby hospital for medical help in emergencies. They do not always get the chance to be transported to the selected hospitals. Sometimes, treating doctors transfer the emergency cases to a better tertiary care facility. Though a patient is critical, he or she will not be able to avail the 108 ambulance, which is an emergency response service, and this is not justified.”

Commenting on the issue, Dr Sanjay Patil, national secretary, Hospital Board of India, said, “Golden hours while saving a patient’s life cannot be wasted because of a bureaucratic technicality. Even in critical emergency cases, when the private hospitals request the 108 service, it is refused and; So how can they transfer the patient? Free ambulance service is every patient’s right. If you earmark a service which is for critical care or emergency purposes, how can one access a healthcare service?”