JAMMU, Jun 20: Workers of Dogra Front and Shiv Sena, led by their president Ashok Gupta, staged a protest rally in Jammu city on Saturday against the alleged overcharging and exploitative practices of private ambulance operators functioning at Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital, Jammu.
Raising slogans against what they termed as an “ambulance mafia,” the protesters demanded immediate intervention by the administration to regulate ambulance services and protect patients from financial exploitation during medical emergencies.
Addressing the gathering, Ashok Gupta alleged that private ambulance operators were charging exorbitant and arbitrary rates from patients and their families. He claimed that in a recent case, a patient was charged as much as Rs 40,000 for ambulance services.
Gupta further alleged that certain operators, including ambulances arriving from Punjab and neighbouring states, had developed a nexus that influences or pressures patients to shift to costly private hospitals in Chandigarh, Amritsar and Ludhiana.
He also expressed concern over the unregulated parking of private ambulances within hospital premises, stating that such vehicles frequently block entry gates and create traffic congestion, causing inconvenience to emergency services and patients.
Questioning the silence of the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and the district administration, Gupta alleged that the overcharging was taking place openly inside hospital premises without any effective action from the authorities.
Giving a strong slogan of “No More Ambulance Mafia at GMC Jammu – Healthcare is a Right, Not a Business,” Gupta demanded immediate implementation of a prepaid ambulance counter at GMC Jammu and the display of government-approved ambulance fare rates at all hospital entrances.
He also called for strict action against operators charging fares beyond approved rates, regulation of private ambulance parking and operations, increased availability of government ambulances for poor and emergency patients, and the establishment of a grievance helpline for victims of harassment and overcharging.
Among those present during the protest were Raju, Bantu, Ganesh, Rahul, Vishal, Rampal, Vinod, Sangeet, Monu, Raji, Basantu, Raja, Prem, Dwassi and several other party workers.
The protesters urged the administration to take immediate corrective measures to ensure transparency, accountability and affordable ambulance services for the public.