Fortis Healthcare — Ambulance being refused to bring the patient down from first floor

Address:

Mohali

I am senior citizen, 65 and my husband, 71, an ex army officer. We have gone through very rough time during the last one month. On 13 may 2020... My husband had a nasty fall in our wet balcony at about 8.30 am. As i ran to help him i also slipped and fell downbut i escaped with minor injury. He was not able to get up and was in too much pain. It took him 20 mins to crawl inside the room. Since the pain was not subsiding we decided to take him to fortis hospital mohali. Thereafter it was a struggle for me to arrange for ambulance till 12.10 am. I called up fortis hospital. They said it would cost us rs 2500.00. I agreed but they we can't get the patient down from first floor so you have to organise getting the patient down from first floor. After about 10 mins they called me and said they will charge rs 3000. I said fine you come since he was in too much pain and i was all alone. A point to mention here that we live here alone as our children are abroad. I literally begged for help. I expressed my inability to get him down from first floor as all retired and senior citizens live in our neighbourhood.

       then i called police help 112. I requested them to send ambulance.. The girl on phone said they can't provide ambulance for mohali. They could take the patient to only govt hospitals within chandigarh. I requested her to atleast send me help to bring the patient down. She said you can try with your sector police station... Then i called up sec 49 police station. They immediately agreed to provide help.in the meanwhile i called up echs polyclinic in sec 47. Since my husband is an ex - serviceman having retired from army. Officer in charge of echs polyclinic initially expressed his inability to provide the ambulance as there was another important task assigned to ambulance. Then my husband spoke to him and told him that i was in tremendous pain now you decide your priorities but i need medical help immediately... Echs ambulence arrived and police men were also there. With the help of ambulance staff and policemen he could be shifted to the ambulance. I have all the praise for echs ambulance and sec 49 policemen. When we reached fortis emergency, the stretcher was promptly brought. I casually told that boy who got the strtcher about my struggle to get ambulance from fortis. To my horror and surprise that boy said that it was he who had been talking to me about the ambulance. I was so surprised that such a reputed hospital has given the authority to the para-medic staff for provision of ambulance and haggle for the cost of service. Also he had the authority to refuse evacuation of patient from 1st floor of the house. It was so disgusting. My question here is if a person suffers cardiac arrest or heart attack then what our system will do to help save such a life...

          we were lucky to see an excellent team of doctors led by dr sandeep gupta taking extra ordinary care of thr surgery of my husband. While all this was going on i found time to go to the pro office of fortis hospital. I narrated the sequence of events of our harrasment due to non availability of ambulance. My aim was to request them to look into the problem so that more people don't suffer from such a negligence. The lady in pro office heard me and assured me that they would do the needful. After some time she called me and said that the director of fortis has personally apologized and has assured this sort of negligence will not happen again. Also that your patient will reach back home safely when he is discharged. But reverse happened on the day of discharge of my husband from the hospital. I went to ask them for ambulance. It was a different lady at the counter. It was the same story again.. That they can't leave the patient to 1st floor. When i told her about the appology as conveyed to me the other day she expressed her inability to help. On top of all these she handed me over 2 cards containing the contact numbers of private operators of ambulances. These private ambulances are parked outside the main emergency gate of the hospital. When i asked her if you have fixed any rates with them, she said that you have to bargain yourself with them. Shocking, isn't it. All this added to my harrassment. Therefore i decided to put it in the knowledge of people who matter andour system to please ensure that senior citizens are not harrased in such circumstances.