Rs 8,000 for 190m distance: Ambulance demands hefty price to shift COVID-19 patient to Mumbai's Kurla hospital

Times Now Bureau
Updated Jun 05, 2020 | 14:50 IST

With 44,704 coronavirus positive cases and 1,368 deaths, Mumbai is the worst-affected city in India.

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Mumbai: A video has emerged on social media exposing medical apathy in Maharashtra's capital Mumbai amid COVID-19 pandemic. The video has been shot by the brother-in-law of a coronavirus patient.

In the video, the man claimed that he has been asked to pay Rs 8,000 for around 200-meter distance by an ambulance service in Kurla.

The man can be seen as saying that his sister-in-law, who was admitted to Habib Hospital in Kurla West, was detected with coronavirus. The family hired an ambulance service - the number of which was found from a local search engine – to shift the patient to Fauziya Hospital in the same locality. The difference between the two facilities is a mere 190 metres.

Accusing the ambulance services of taking undue advantage during these testing times, the man said that he is ready to pay the amount if the driver provides a pucca bill.

When confronted, the driver refused to take any onus, saying that he is only a worker.

Despite the fact that the Maharashtra government has capped the treatment charges for COVID-19 patients in private hospitals and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has vowed to provide a free ambulance service for coronavirus patients, the man in the video narrates a different story, highlighting the difficulties being faced by the city residents in getting the treatment.

This is to be noted that Times Now does not vouch for the authenticity of the video.

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