Will table bill to regulate pvt ambulance pricing: Karnataka minister

Karwar: Underscoring the need to make ambulance services more easily accessible to all, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Wednesday said that the state government was mulling rolling out an app-based service, modelled on cab aggregator apps, to help people book private ambulances.

Interacting with journalists in Karwar, Rao added, “We will introduce a bill in the upcoming session of the state legislature to regulate the rates charged by private ambulances, by bringing it under the ambit of the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (KPME) Act. We will also regulate the prices charged by mobile clinics.”

The minister further added that the state government would make it mandatory for private ambulances and mobile clinics to obtain approval from the competent authorities to ensure they compliance to the KPME Act. “The 108-ambulance helpline is currently being managed by private agencies. The government has decided to take over the running of the helpline,” Rao added.

Taking a swipe at the BJP-led Centre, Rao said, “While the Union Government is taking credit for Operation Sindoor, it is not accepting blame for the intelligence lapses that resulted in the terror attack at Pahalgam.”

Queried about AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks on the Chief Minister’s chair having remained elusive, Rao said, “He (Kharge) deserved to be the CM. But he may not have got the opportunity at the right time. Siddaramaiah has made it clear that he will be the CM for the rest of the term. The topic of the CM being replaced is a closed chapter.”