Lokesh Decries Rise Of "Ambulance Mafia" In AP

TDP leader Nara Lokesh on Thursday expressed concern over the YSRCP government ignoring the "inhuman" incidents taking place in the government hospitals in Andhra Pradesh.

Lokesh was speaking about an incident where the staff at the Udayagiri Government Hospital in Nellore district had demanded Rs 15,000 for conducting a post-mortem. They also stuck to their demand despite knowing the inability of the poor family to pay, he claimed.

The TDP leader also spoke about to another inhuman incident that took place at Sangam in Nellore district today where a man had to shift the body of his 8-year-old son on a bike to his home from the hospital. Lokesh said that the poor man had pleaded with the hospital staff for an ambulance, but they did not respond. Left with no choice, he had carried his son's body on his bike.

The TDP MLC also recalled how ambulance operators had perpetrated atrocities at the Tirupati Ruia Hospital. The Talli Bidda Express vehicles' mafia had even attacked a poor family at the maternity ward of the Visakhapatnam KGH. And in Sangam today, nobody had come forward to help the poor father though he was already in deep pain over the death of his son, Lokesh said.

"These show how ruthless the ambulance mafia is, and how it has spread all over the State," Lokesh said.

Lokesh demanded that Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy explain to the people where the hundreds of ambulances that he had flagged off had gone. He also asked if Reddy had reviewed the status of the ambulance services at least once.

Lokesh also claimed that the "ambulance mafia" activities had started only after the operation of these services was handed over to YSRCP MP Vijaya Sai Reddy's son-in-law.

The MLC added that the "shortage" of staff and amenities in general at the government hospitals was causing suffering to the public, and that the YSRCP government's indifference to the health sector was resulting in serious deterioration in hospital services.