Know Your Rights as an Ambulance Service User!

With the blaring horns and glaring headlights everywhere, you feel as if you are in a sea of vehicles. Imagine being in this situation where you are taking your seriously ill grandfather to the hospital. The urgency of the moment is making it difficult for you to breathe. Suddenly, the zig-zagging ambulance comes to a halt. You can hear your heart pounding. A wedding procession is obstructing traffic on the road. You are scared. Every second is precious. At this moment, when you step down from the ambulance to get the way cleared quickly, nothing will help you more than knowing your rights as an ambulance user. In India, ambulance users have certain rights. These rights are necessary to transport patients to the hospital within a reasonable time, keeping the “Golden Hour” in mind. What are these rights and how are they useful to you as an ambulance user? Let’s find out: ● Blocking the way of an ambulance is an offence: Not obstructing an ambulance sounds like common sense, but unfortunately, people do obstruct or try to overtake ambulances. However, in such a situation, you should be aware that giving way to an ambulance is not just a moral obligation; there is a law against that. As per Section 194E of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, a 10,000 rupee fine shall be imposed on any person who obstructs the way of an ambulance. ● Ambulances can’t be held up with other traffic for VIP visits: Last year, when President Mr Kovind visited Kanpur, a patient lost her life due to being stuck in a traffic hold-up. Although she was going in her own car, the action was taken against the police officers responsible. No ambulance can be stopped for any traffic held up for VIP visits. ● Ambulances don’t have to stop at red lights: An ambulance carrying a patient can jump past the red signals. At such times, the traffic police should play the crucial duty of coordinating all the lanes and making sure the ambulance gets past as quickly as possible. ● An ambulance can take any lane: In the event of a traffic jam, the ambulance can take the wrong lane to reach the destination as quickly as possible. This is a special privilege, and normal people must not follow the same course in order to avoid traffic jams. Timely arrival at the hospital is crucial in saving the lives of seriously ill or injured patients. Considering the gravity of the situation, it is important that we remain as prepared as we can. To save time, measures such as having an emergency response app handy and being aware of our rights as ambulance users go a long way. In a corporate setup, having an ambulance at the ready is a practical way to greatly cut the time needed to get to the hospital. BSIDEU offers these services under a fixed and subscription model. Under fixed service, a fully equipped and staffed ambulance is stationed at the premises 24/7, whereas, under the subscription model, ambulances can be called upon whenever required. To know more or get a customised plan as per your corporate/residential requirement, you can write to us at support@bsideu.in or call us on +918097585837. Good management of emergency situations requires preparedness. We can’t know when an emergency might strike, but we can make sure that we are ready to face it whenever it does.