*Diverting patients in Punjab hospitals for commission
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Aug 17: For last many years, a well knit nexus of private ambulance operators and hospital staff in Jammu’s premiere Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu is fleecing the patients and their attendants of their hard earned money by shifting them in reputed private hospitals of Punjab after misguiding them of not getting proper treatment here and this illegal activity is still on in this COVID time, while the Hospital administration is acting as a mute spectator despite being well versed with the affairs.
Sources in GMCH Jammu told Excelsior that this nexus is decades old and in return of commission from reputed private hospitals of Punjab, some staff of the Medical College is acting as their agents and whenever any serious patient comes in emergency of the medical college, they try their best to create a bad picture of doctors and health facilities available here and persuade them to opt for private hospitals of Punjab.
They said the private ambulances remained parked in front of the emergency of the Medical College and despite lack of required basic life support system and other facilities in these ambulances, their operators charged huge money from the patients to shift them in Punjab hospitals and also get good commission from these hospitals for facilitating their business.
“Moreover, most of these private ambulances are having Punjab registration numbers. As per protocol, an anesthetist should follow a patient in an ambulance while shifting a patient from one hospital to another but these private ambulance operators hire BMS doctors (who are easily available in Rs 2000-3000) and put on risk the lives of the patients they carry,” sources claimed.
Stating that the administration of the Medical College is well aware of all facts but has virtually surrendered to this mafia, sources said instead of taking action against these private ambulance operators and shunting them out of their premises, they are facilitating their illegal activities by depriving the patients of the ambulance service of the medical college as in times of need, patients or their attendants couldn’t find any Government ambulance which remain parked in the back yard.
When contacted, Medical Superintendent, GMCH Jammu, Dr Dara Singh admitted that a big nexus of private hospitals of Punjab and ambulance operators is active in the Medical College and some insiders are helping them in their illegal activity of coaxing the patients to private hospitals of Punjab.
He further said that these so called ambulances do not fulfill medical standards and are not fit to pass as ambulances as they are simply vans painted like ambulances. He also maintained that majority of these private ambulances have no NOCs of Health Department and required motor vehicle documents and blamed the Traffic Police when asked why they are allowing entry and parking to these private ambulances in their premises and that too close to emergency of the Medical College.
“This is beyond my control as mafia is involved in it. This is police’s job and we have written many times to IGP Traffic but got no reply,” Dr Singh said.
Director Health Services Jammu, Dr Renu Sharma, when contacted and asked as to how they have issued NOCs to these private ambulance operators while their vehicles do not fulfill medical standards, said that they have given NOC under rules after verification of pre-requisite facilities.
“Whether these ambulance operators follow the protocols or not should be checked by the traffic authorities. This is not the job of the Health Department,” Dr Sharma said, adding, “We have not given NOC to any Punjab number ambulances and if these ambulances are being operated from Medical College, where are the college authorities? They have their own security, besides a police post in the college premises, then how these private ambulances enter the college gate without their consent”.
When contacted, IGP Traffic J&K, T Namgyal said that he is in the office for last seven months but nobody from GMCH Jammu ever contacted him or his office by any mode on this issue. He said maintaining discipline in their campus is the job of the hospital administration but if they face any issue they can contact Traffic police. “Without any request from hospital administration, traffic personnel can not interfere in the matter,” he added.
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