Row threatens extension of 108 ambulance chain

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posted on 13 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Once again, the move to extend the 108 ambulance chain service to all districts has run into rough weather...

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Once again, the move to extend the 108 ambulance chain service to all districts has run into rough weather.
Attempts to hand over the operational charge of the service to Ziquitza Healthcare owned by Union Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi's son have drawn flak.With Health Secretary Rajeev Sadanandan to convene a meeting on Monday to finalise the decision on extending the service to all districts, CPM leader M V Jayarajan has written a letter to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy urging him to withdraw from the move to hand over the service to a private company.

The previous LDF Government had made Keltron the nodal agency for extending the 108 ambulance service under the Kerala Emergency Medical Services Project (KEMP).

Jayarajan has alleged widespread corruption in the deal. The attempt to hand over the KEMP project, funded by the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), to a private agency is nothing but dubious.

However, the Health Department has termed these allegations baseless since they have not taken any decision to hand over the operation to Ziquitza till now.

Keltron, which has no expertise in operating ambulance services, has now tied up with a private firm to run the project.

Ziquitza Healthcare, along with Keltron, were the bidders when the previous government floated tenders for operating the service in all districts.

NRHM sources said that if Ziquitza is given the charge of other districts, the government would not have to bear any additional expenditure as they could operate in all districts with the present infrastructure established in Technopark.

The Centre had sanctioned funds to purchase 50 ambulances under the NRHM, of which 25 are operating in Thiruvananthapuram catering to the needs of trauma care patients.

Since there was a delay in extending the service to all districts, the Centre has not sanctioned any funds for the state to purchase new ambulances this year.

Monday's meeting will be crucial since the fate of extending the muchpopular 108 ambulance service to other districts has been hanging in balance for the past two years.