SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Sept 14: In the wake of the prevailing nuisance, the hospital administration of Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College (SNMMCH) Dhanbad has imposed a ban on the parking of private ambulances inside the hospital premises with immediate effect from today.
SNMMCH Superintendent Dr Arun Kumar Baranwal has issued a notification in this regard and directed the security agency to not allow any private ambulance parking on the campus. The ambulance would enter the premises but return immediately after dropping off the patient.
Now, the ambulance would be allowed to enter the hospital premises after a booking from today. For the facility of patients, the superintendent has set up a counter for booking ambulances.
The parking of private ambulances on the hospital premises had been in the eye of the storm in SNMMCH after a driver was arrested for raping a mentally-disabled and speech-impaired patient who was admitted to the medicine ward last year.
The hospital authorities said that the private ambulances had not only made unauthorised parking stand on the premises but also used to choke the emergency gate.
“Complaints were pouring in from patients for the arbitrary realization of fare by private ambulance. As per complaints, few private ambulance drivers remained under the influence of alcohol at night and scuffled with security personnel of the hospital if forbidden,” a hospital authority said.
The hospital authority said most of the private ambulances were found operating without having medical facilities as per the guidelines of the health department. Some of them were allegedly also working for private nursing homes and used to take away the patients from medical college hospitals.
