POLICY MATTERS: The Commissioner of Family Welfare, C.B.S. Venkataramana, puts forth a point as the Collector, Jayesh Ranjan, and DMHO, K. Pitchi Reddy (standing), look on at a meeting on emergency health transportation project in Cuddapah on Sunday.

CUDDAPAH: The emergency health transportation scheme had no provision for free transportation of even the poorest of the rural poor to hospitals, the Commissioner of Family Welfare, C.B.S. Venkataramana, said on Sunday.

Addressing a meeting at the Sabha Bhavan here, he said rural folk utilising ambulances should pay to and fro fuel charges from their village to the primary health centre.

The scheme envisaged transportation of pregnant women and ailing children from rural areas to the nearest hospitals round-the-clock. However, ambulances could also be used in emergency cases to transport accident and fire victims, electrocution and snakebite cases etc., he stated.

Fifty-one mandals in Cuddapah district had been demarcated into 20 segments, where NGOs would set up offices with telephone facility and have an ambulance each.

Nearly two-and-a-half mandals would be covered by each NGO. Demarcation of segments should be made on road connectivity, rather than mandal and PHC boundaries, he said and suggested certain changes in segment formation.

Dr. Venkataramana categorically told officials and NGOs that ambulances allotted under the scheme should not be used for any other purposes than emergency health transportation. They were not meant to transport a patient from one hospital to another, he said.

Ambulances must not be kept in Government Hospitals, PHCs, Government offices, but must be on the NGO office premises, he said.

The NGOs should appoint ANMs, drivers and office staff for static and mobile duties, who would be imparted training.

The ANMs would be trained by the Academy of Nursing Studies and Indian Institute of Health and Family Welfare and drivers by St. John's Ambulance Services, he said.

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