Ambulance Driver Accused of Exploiting Vulnerable Patient
Authorities in Bareilly have taken serious action against what appears to be a disturbing case of patient exploitation. An FIR has been officially registered against an unidentified ambulance driver and the owner of a private hospital for allegedly manipulating a paralyzed patient's family with false promises of affordable treatment.
The Distressing Sequence of Events
The case came to light when Hardwari Lal, a resident of Ghaziabad, filed a formal complaint with the Meerut district magistrate and health officials. According to his statement, he had admitted his son Mukesh to LLRM Medical College in Meerut on November 15, 2025 for paralysis treatment.
The situation took an unfortunate turn the very next day when an unknown ambulance driver approached the distressed father. The driver allegedly convinced Hardwari Lal that his son could receive equivalent medical care at a private hospital for just Rs 20,000–25,000, significantly less than what they might have paid at the government facility.
Acting on this misleading information, the family agreed to transfer the patient to the private hospital. The ambulance driver, later identified as Tushar, facilitated the entire admission process at the private medical facility.
Official Investigation and Consequences
Following the formal complaint, Chief Medical Officer Ashok Kataria immediately established a committee to investigate the serious allegations. During the investigation, Hardwari Lal revealed that he had already paid Rs 90,000 to the private hospital but had exhausted all his financial resources for further treatment.
The investigation uncovered that the family had been misled about the actual treatment costs, leaving them in a precarious financial and medical situation. In a strong response to these findings, CMO Kataria suspended the private hospital's registration indefinitely until further orders.
This case has highlighted the ongoing issue of private ambulances operating illegally on government hospital premises. As per official government regulations, private ambulances are strictly prohibited from parking within government hospital compounds, a rule that appears to have been violated in this instance.
The incident serves as a stark reminder about the vulnerabilities patients face within the healthcare system and the importance of adhering to established medical protocols and regulations.
