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Himachal privatises medical transport services

SHIMLA: In another bid to privatise health services in the State, the Himachal Government on Friday decided to hand over the Medical Response and Transport Services to a private company with immediate effect.

State Health Minister Rajiv Bindal and Principal Secretary Deepak Sanan announced at a press conference that Rs.20 crore had been given to the company initially to start the emergency ambulance services and trauma call centres in the State.

The company would be given money per month on the basis of trips its vehicles make to the nearest hospitals. The service would cost an estimated Rs.15 crore a year, they said.

“We are doing this to strengthen hospital emergency services in the State on the pattern of Gujarat,” said Mr. Bindal. The patients would not be charged any money for the service.

“These highly efficient ambulances would reach in less than 30 minutes in urban areas and in 45 minutes in hilly terrain,” he claimed. The call centres would also be manned by fire brigade and police personnel and there would be 100 such imported ambulances in the first phase of the experiment. The entire project is to be funded by the National Rural Health Mission money, he said.

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