Many village women have been having safe deliveries ever since the District Health Office (DHO) initiated the rickshaw ambulance. “If they had had to carry me, it would have been too late. Thank god the rickshaw ambulance came,” the new mother said. With its ability to steer through narrow lanes, the rickshaw ambulance has gained popularity amongst villagers. [break]
Since last year, the DHO has been providing the rickshaw ambulance service to health posts located in remote areas. By now, it has provided 14 rickshaw ambulances to different health posts. In order to reduce the maternal and infant mortality rate, the Health Ministry has provided rickshaw ambulances to 23 districts of the Tarai region.
The ambulances run by local health posts charge a minimum of Rs 75 and a maximum of Rs 350 for the service. “We look at the distance and decided the fare,” Keshav Raj Pandit, chief of DHO-Dang, said. “In case the patients cannot pay, we provide the service free,” he said.
Since the rickshaw driver has to be paid a monthly salary and facilities, the health posts have charged a minimum amount for the service. Pregnant women and other women patients top the priority list for the rickshaw ambulances. “However, out of a sense of humanity, other patients also receive the service sometimes,” Pandit said.
Currently, health centers that provide 24-hour maternity services use the ambulances. The ambulance, that requires an outlay of around Rs 25,000, easily accommodates one patient and an assistant. “We can´t provide all the facilities provided by larger ambulances. However, we can still provide some facilities and ease a patient´s trip to the hospital,” Pandit said.
With rising demands from other health organizations, the DHO has been working to provide more rickshaw ambulances.
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