Plea In SC Seeks Directions To Increase Ambulance Services & Mobilise Resources For Mitigating COVID Crisis

Adding to various pending pleas pertaining to Covid-related issues in the Top Court, a fresh PIL has been filed for directions to increase ambulance services to cater to the surging covid positive numbers in the country.An NGO named "Earth" has filed the instant plea through Advocate Dhruv Tamta. ".use the powers available to the Respondent Authorities under section 63 and 65 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 to increase the number of ambulance/ambulance services to cater to COVID and Non- COVID patients and to improve the efficiency of the existing ambulance services due to the steady increase in the number of COVID patients and the difficulties faced by the common man seeking medical treatment amidst the lockdown to travel to hospital for the same" The petitioner-NGO through its President contends that there is an acute shortage of ambulances in the entire country as well as mismanagement of ambulance services throughout the country. However, the Petitioners states that the number of ambulances provided for the transportation of COVID-19 and NON COVID patients have drastically fallen short, making it very difficult for a person to seek medical treatment during the prevalent lockdown" In light of the above, it is stated that even though the Directorate General of Health Services had prepared a Standard Operating Procedure for transporting a suspected or confirmed Covid 19 cases and had called for independent empanelment of ambulances for meeting the growing demand, "the states have failed to fill in the gaps of ambulance services". The Petitioners submit that this new category within the app has been designed to provide convenient, reliable and safe transport to riders who need to access a hospital for medical purposes" ".the shortage of ambulance and the supporting staff has been undertaken by the State of Tamil Nadu by appointment of district coordinators who have been given the responsibility to coordinate with the government hospitals and primary health centers in finding ambulances for the patients at the earliest" In this backdrop, the petitioner avers that the Centre must use the power bestowed upon it in terms of Section 65 of the DMA, 2005 which is the "Power of requisition of resources, provisions, vehicles, etc., for rescue operations, etc" as well as under section 63 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 has powers to request officers and authority of the Union and State Governments to make themselves available to perform functions in connection with mitigation of the disaster.