Ambulance fares surge, leaving Telangana patients paying steep prices | Hyderabad News
Hyderabad: For families rushing critically ill patients from Telangana’s smaller towns to bigger hospitals, the ambulance is increasingly becoming a second financial emergency. Families say fares that were around ₹1,000-₹2,500 a few years ago have risen to ₹5,000 or more, with long-distance trips costing as much as ₹15,000.In Suryapet recently, G Poshaiah’s brother suffered a serious head injury in a road accident while returning from their agricultural farm. After providing first aid at a govt hospital, doctors advised the family to shift him to Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad.An ambulance driver quoted ₹8,000.“We could not wait and bargain with several ambulance drivers because of the seriousness of his injuries. We had no other option but to agree,” Poshaiah told TOI.For another family, the urgency was less, but the bargaining was long. Tirupathi of Bayyaram in Gajwel, who was suffering from a liver-related disease, was advised by local doctors to seek treatment at a hospital in ECIL. His son Srikanth approached ambulance drivers in Gajwel and was quoted ₹10,000. After prolonged bargaining, the fare was brought down to ₹7,500.“In my case, it was not immediate, but if it was an emergency, we would have had no option,” Srikanth told TOI. He recalled another case involving a 75-year-old man from his village who needed to be taken to Hyderabad urgently. The family was quoted ₹12,000. “That is ridiculous,” he said.For Gatla Vinay of Komaram Bheem Asifabad district, there was no scope for bargaining. His father Mallaiah, who had been admitted to Gandhi Hospital with a urinary tract infection, needed an ambulance and the family was quoted ₹15,000.“I’m a student, and agriculture is my family’s only source of income. Seeing my father in such pain and having little money, I had to take hand loans from my relatives. Now, I’m worried about how I will repay them. For families like us, every rupee counts,” Vinay said.Steep fares are being reported from several parts of Telangana. Private ambulance operators charge ₹3,500-₹6,500 for trips to mandal or district headquarters, while a journey from Suryapet to Hyderabad can cost around ₹10,000. Operators in Kodad and Khammam are reportedly quoting up to ₹15,000 for Hyderabad.Ambulance drivers, however, say fares are determined by more than distance. Road conditions, fuel, traffic, tolls, vehicle maintenance and the time spent on long-distance trips all add to the cost.“We don’t decide the fare simply by looking at the number of kilometres. The condition of the road, traffic, fuel expenses and the time required for the trip also have to be considered. If we take a patient to Hyderabad, the vehicle may remain away from the local area for several hours. On some routes, the return journey is also without a patient. The fare has to cover these costs,” said an ambulance driver operating in a district.Another driver who transported a patient from Mulugu to Gandhi Hospital said ambulances can remain tied up for days on long-distance trips.“We usually don’t leave immediately. We look for discharged patients who want to return home and whose destination is near our hometown. Meanwhile, we have to stay on the streets outside hospitals and make arrangements for food and accommodation. Sometimes, we have to wait for two or more days,” he told TOI.A driver stationed near a private hospital in ECIL said families are informed of the fare before the journey and can choose another vehicle if one is available.That choice, however, can be difficult when a patient needs immediate treatment. Once doctors advise shifting a critically ill patient, families often have little time to compare fares or negotiate.Dr K Seetharam, a senior govt doctor from Asifabad district, said patients from remote areas are particularly vulnerable because of long distances and poor road conditions.“It is pathetic for patients and their families to pay such huge amounts in emergencies when they are already in despair. In our district, road conditions are very bad. During the rainy season, the roads do not allow us to drive normally. In such cases, because of the roads and long distances to hospitals, ambulance drivers quote steep fares,” he said, urging authorities to take immediate action.Private ambulances remain an important link between district hospitals and higher centres, particularly when patients require specialised treatment. But with families reporting a sharp rise in fares, the issue is increasingly not just the cost of an emergency ride, but how much choice a family actually has when reaching the next hospital can be a matter of life and death.
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