PANAJI
In view of several complaints from public that private ambulance drivers and service providers were charging exorbitant rates for transporting Covid patients and victims, the government on Thursday capped the fares for ambulances and hearse vans.
In an order issued today, the government said fares for the patient transport ambulances, basic life support ambulances, advanced life support ambulances for use of Covid patients and for hearse vans for transportation of the dead have been streamlined.
As per the order issued by the Additional Health Secretary Vikas Gaunekar patient transport ambulance can charge Rs 1,500 per call up till 10 kms and Rs 50 for every extra kilometre.
Basic life support ambulance can charge Rs 2,000 and advance life support ambulance can charge Rs 4,000. Similarly, a hearse van can charge Rs 1,500 plus Rs 25 per kms, states the order.
While observing that nobody should in this time of crisis make profit, the High Court of Bombay at Goa had recently told the government to intervene and regulate the transport rates.
The court had asked the government to consider what can be done to cap the hearse rates to bring relief to the affected families.
Meanwhile, in an effort to track Covid-19 patients in home isolation more efficiently, the health ministry has roped in an agency 'Step 1' which will use tech-based solutions to reach out to the growing pool of active cases.
Health Secretary Rajiv Dhawan said physical calls will be made to the Covid-19 patients in home isolation on day-one, the day he/she tests positive so data can be entered into the portal.
From day-two to the 10th day IVRS calls will be made and vital readings of each patient recorded.
"We've taken care to ensure that since all will not know English, the calls will go in three languages -- English, Hindi or Konkani," Dhavan said, adding that a set of five queries will be asked pertaining to the five health parameters which need to be monitored including oxygen blood saturation, temperature, whether there is any chest pain, breathlessness or cold and cough more than thrice over an interval of 24-hours.
Dhawan also said, this home isolated patient monitoring module will be launched on Saturday and will not have any add-on costs to the government other than the call charges which will be paid directly to BSNL.
'Step 1' is already providing such service to 11 States on a charitable basis, Dhawan said.
"The IVRS call questions are framed in such a manner that only yes or no -- press 1 for yes and 2 for no -- kind answers are required," Dhawan said, adding that if for any two of these questions the answer is yes, the patient gets redflagged and relayed to a backhand team of doctors who advise consultation on a personal basis or through hospital set up.
