<p>Ambulance owners and drivers are protesting against an ambulance service launched by a Hyderabad-based company in partnership with private hospitals in Bengaluru. </p>.<p>The Red Ambulance service launched by StanPlus promises to be patient-centric and ensure transparent pricing. </p>.<p>The company has tied up with private hospitals like the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, Fortis, Columbia Asia, BGS Global and MS Ramaiah hospitals and government hospitals like Nimhans. </p>.<p>Ambulance drivers have to pay the company a 30% commission to join the service. They feel the service will snatch their livelihood. At present, private hospitals directly contact them to ferry the patients. </p>.<p>They say they aren’t getting any phone calls from these hospitals because the company has tied up with them. </p>.<p>Ambulance drivers say the company, funded by foreign capital, has disrupted ambulance services in Telangana by entering into agreements with hospitals. </p>.<p>“We have been offering ambulance services to private hospitals in Karnataka for the past 40 years. Many labourers, drivers and helpers depend on us for their livelihood. During the pandemic, too, we tied up with the government and ferried the patients to government hospitals,” said Venkatesh B R, a member of the Akhila Karnataka Ambulance Owners Welfare Association. </p>.<p>Prabhdeep Singh, CEO and Co-founder, StanPlus, told <span class="italic">DH</span>: “We are trying to change the ambulance service in the city. They (local ambulance drivers) are unethical and fleece patients. We studied these complaints before launching our service. We are trying to create an on-demand ambulance service and ensure transparent pricing. Our vehicles are new, our drivers are in uniform and are trained in basic life support. Our service is patient-centric. We have offered to train the people running the local ambulance service too but to no avail.” </p>.<p>Dr Naresh Shetty, president, M S Ramaiah Hospital, which is one of the hospital groups that tied up with StanPlus a week ago, said he was only looking at standardising ambulance services for his patients and was disinterested in local politics. “We don’t know why they’re protesting. We are only doing what’s best for our patients.”</p>
<p>Ambulance owners and drivers are protesting against an ambulance service launched by a Hyderabad-based company in partnership with private hospitals in Bengaluru. </p>.<p>The Red Ambulance service launched by StanPlus promises to be patient-centric and ensure transparent pricing. </p>.<p>The company has tied up with private hospitals like the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, Fortis, Columbia Asia, BGS Global and MS Ramaiah hospitals and government hospitals like Nimhans. </p>.<p>Ambulance drivers have to pay the company a 30% commission to join the service. They feel the service will snatch their livelihood. At present, private hospitals directly contact them to ferry the patients. </p>.<p>They say they aren’t getting any phone calls from these hospitals because the company has tied up with them. </p>.<p>Ambulance drivers say the company, funded by foreign capital, has disrupted ambulance services in Telangana by entering into agreements with hospitals. </p>.<p>“We have been offering ambulance services to private hospitals in Karnataka for the past 40 years. Many labourers, drivers and helpers depend on us for their livelihood. During the pandemic, too, we tied up with the government and ferried the patients to government hospitals,” said Venkatesh B R, a member of the Akhila Karnataka Ambulance Owners Welfare Association. </p>.<p>Prabhdeep Singh, CEO and Co-founder, StanPlus, told <span class="italic">DH</span>: “We are trying to change the ambulance service in the city. They (local ambulance drivers) are unethical and fleece patients. We studied these complaints before launching our service. We are trying to create an on-demand ambulance service and ensure transparent pricing. Our vehicles are new, our drivers are in uniform and are trained in basic life support. Our service is patient-centric. We have offered to train the people running the local ambulance service too but to no avail.” </p>.<p>Dr Naresh Shetty, president, M S Ramaiah Hospital, which is one of the hospital groups that tied up with StanPlus a week ago, said he was only looking at standardising ambulance services for his patients and was disinterested in local politics. “We don’t know why they’re protesting. We are only doing what’s best for our patients.”</p>
