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Ajay Joshi
Jalandhar, April 28
Private ambulance operators have been charging exorbitantly to transport patients to hospitals or carrying bodies to the crematorium. While the 108 emergency service is for free, it is not readily available to patients owing to the rise in the number of patients. Anil Kumar, an 108 ambulance operator said there were around 22 such ambulances in the district and for the past 45 days, each ambulance was ferrying 6-8 patients every day. The private operators have been minting money out of the miserable situation due to the pandemic.
Ranging from Rs 1,500-Rs 3,000, the ambulance service operators are charging exorbitant rates in the town. Extra hundreds are added if the ambulances are carrying patients across the city borders. Unreasonable rates are also sought from people for carrying the bodies of Covid-19 patients to crematoriums.