BENGALURU: The health department has decided to bring 108 ambulance services under its direct control, ending years of private management.
Although the ambulances were owned and funded by the government - including expenses like fuel and driver salaries - they were being operated through a private command centre.
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said this set up had led to multiple issues in the service delivery and with the health department taking over the operations, challenges can be addressed more effectively.
“To streamline the operations, a central command centre will be set up in Bengaluru, along with separate centres in each district, with the department taking over the entire 108 ambulance operations within three months,” Gundu Rao said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Until now, 108 ambulances were managed by private agencies, but there were persistent complaints regarding delays in salary payments to drivers and irregularities in operations, despite the government releasing funds on time. “In many instances, the government had to intervene to resolve the issues faced by the ambulance staff. These challenges can be addressed better now,” the minister said.
The transition has already been tested through a successful pilot in Chamarajanagar where the department ran 108 ambulance operations independently, he said, adding that with this outcome, the government will begin bringing all state ambulances under its management starting next month. “Within the next three months, the entire network will be taken over by the department through its own command centres,” Gundu Rao added.