By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Sept. 9: The government has issued ‘National Ambulance Directive- 2021’ to regulate ambulance services and make them systematic, transport sick and injured person to hospital safely.
The health institutions are only authorised to provide the ambulance services. According to the directives, only hospitals and health institutions can provide the ambulance services.

Issuing a public notice on Wednesday, deputy-spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) said that the directive was issued to operate and manage the ambulance services.
The directives aim to increase quality of the ambulance service and people’s access to it, allocate fare and manage the monitoring committee for its proper regulations.
Ambulances operated by other health institutions rather than the hospitals could be operated in regular monitoring of the hospitals depending on purview of the directives.

Earlier, various organisations including Community Development Committee, Community Organisations, Clubs and other private organisations were providing ambulance services. Due to the lack of patients-friendly ambulance, many lives were lost.

Previously, tax was waived for ambulance services. The MoHP will now recommend only A and B category ambulances. The directive has also set the standards for ambulance. The vehicle to be operated as ambulance should be a four-wheel drive equipped with siren, suspension chain system and power stirring.
An ambulance driver should take training from National Health Training Centre.

According to the directives, A and B category ambulances should have health workers, including medical officer, health assistance and nurse, and they should be provided with required trainings.
All the ambulances should be accessible to the public and should be operated with same numbers and applications.
The directive has also stipulated a provision that ambulance can only carry patients and should not be used for other purposes. Those found misusing an ambulance will be punished.
Ambulance drivers and other members of ambulance should have EMT costumes, according to the directives.

All ambulances should install Global Positioning System (GPS). According to the MoHP, the management of the monitoring committee was made at district, province and federal levels for allocating ambulance fare and its quality services.