SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad Jan 22: Dhanbad district transport department has unearthed a racket of operating private vehicles in the name of ambulances in hospitals and private nursing homes in the region.
The transport department team along with senior officials of traffic police seized six vehicles from a campus of private nursing homes that were used as ambulances for carrying the patients without registration from the department and medical facilities.
District transport officer (DTO) Om Prakash Yadav said that on getting a tip-off about the racket of commercial use of private vehicles as ambulances, the team raided the campus of Patliputra Nursing home at Joraphatak road and seized six vehicles on the spot.
“All six vehicles were lacking proper papers, facilities as per medical guidelines and registration of ambulances. All vehicles were handed over to the Bank More police station,” said DTO Om Prakash Yadav.
The DTO further said that a team has been constituted to carry out checking of ambulances at hospitals including Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) Saraidhela and Asian Jalan Hospital Bartand where ambulances in large numbers are parked.
He said that the team would not only check registrations of all ambulances but also ensure whether they have equipped medical devices as per guidelines or not.
The ambulances in the district are under scanner after a driver was caught for raping a mentally challenged woman on the roof of medical college hospital last year.
Moreover, complaints have also been lodged by referred patients time and again against ambulances for carrying them to private hospitals rather than Bokaro General Hospital (BGH) or RIMS Ranchi.
