TIRUPATI: A father, who was grieving over his son’s death, was forced to carry the body of his son on a motorcycle to his village, 90 km away from Tirupati, when the private ambulance operators in SVR Ruia Government General Hospital in Tirupati refused to reduce the price of hiring ambulance on Tuesday early hours.
They even refused to allow a free ambulance organized by the villagers of the deceased and with no other go, the man was forced to carry his son in his hands on a motorcycle. The incident created a flutter in the temple town and district authorities directed an inquiry. Six private ambulance operators responsible for the incident were reportedly taken into custody.
Jeseva from Chitvel in Annamaiah district was admitted to S V R Ruia Government General Hospital in Tirupati with kidney-related ailments. He died in the late hours of Monday. His father tried to arrange an ambulance for shifting him to their native village. But, the ambulance drivers allegedly charged heavy prices. Unable to bear the cost, the father of the victim informed the situation to his relatives.
Srikanth Yadav, a resident of Chitvel arranged an ambulance which agreed to shift the body for free of cost. But, private ambulance operators at the hospital, who formed a syndicate stopped the other ambulance from entering the hospital and chased it away. They insisted that if the body was to be shifted in an ambulance, it should be theirs. With help of his relative, the father of Jeseva took the body of his son on the motorcycle.
Reacting to the incident, Tirupati MP Maddila Gurumoorthy asked the district collector to inquire about the issue and take stern action against the persons who are responsible for the incident. Following the collector's directions, RDO officials visited the hospital and started inquiry.