A man in Tirupati had to carry his son’s body out of a government hospital on a two-wheeler in Andhra Pradesh after the child passed away, because of high prices demanded by private ambulances. On the night of April 25, 10-year-old Jesuva who was being treated at the Sri Venkateswara Ramnarayan (SVR) Ruia Government General Hospital passed away, reportedly due to a kidney-related illness. With the private ambulances outside the hospital demanding very high prices that were unaffordable for them, the child’s family members had to carry his body on a two-wheeler.
According to reports, the ambulance drivers at the hospital demanded Rs 20,000 for the 90 km distance to their hometown of Chitvel. They also reportedly denied allowing other vehicles charging a lower price to transport the body. The boy’s family was forced to carry his body out of the hospital on a two-wheeler and reportedly shifted to an ambulance after crossing Tirupati. The incident has once again brought attention to the issue of organised profiteering by private ambulances at the Ruia GGH. It has been alleged that the ambulance drivers often demand excessive prices and block access to other private vehicles willing to be hired for reasonable prices. According to Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) Chittoor district secretary Kandarapu Murali, the incident happened around 2 am in the early hours of Tuesday. He said that the boy’s family, who belong to the Yanadi Scheduled Tribe, had a low income and struggled to find help transporting the body, as ambulances outside the hospital sought exorbitant rates.