HC petitioned for allowing use of Pvt Ambulances for COVID Patients

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya has moved the High Court of Bombay seeking directions to the State Govt to increase the number of ambulances in the city & to rope in private ambulance providers to tackle the shortage in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta & Justice KK Tated wgile, while hearing the plea filed through Lawyers Gaurav Mehta & Shiwani Agarwal for Dhruve Liladhar & Co., was told that ‘108 ambulance services’ provided by the Govt has only 93 vehicles in Mumbai which is insufficient considering the number of calls it receives to ferry both Covid & non-Covid patients each day. The Lawyers submitted there are around 3,000 ambulances run by private operators that have been withdrawn during the lockdown.

The plea said that “It is shocking & surprising to note that there have been significant amount of disappearances or withdrawals of these private ambulance services from hospitals and/or the streets of the city".

“Citizens are waiting for almost entire day in various cases for an ambulance to reach them. Whilst the petitioner appreciates efforts being taken by the Covid-19 warriors, there has to be basic infrastructure in the form of ambulances provided by the government to connect people with healthcare workers,” the plea said, pointing to the problems faced by Mumbaiites due to the shortage of ambulances.

The appeal filed against State Health Minister Rajesh Tope & other Govt Authorities further said that nearly 93 per cent privately operated ambulances are absent & Govt ambulances are insufficient.

The plea has also sought details from the State Govt on action proposed by it to deal with the shortage of ambulances & urged the Court to order the Govt to take necessary steps to bring the missing ambulances back in the system to aid Covid warriors.

After hearing the submissions, the bench directed the state & the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to respond with the details sought in the plea & posted the matter for hearing on June 2.

Source Link