Local Outcry in Jumla After Ambulance Fare to Nepalgunj Set at NPR 25,000

Jumla. Local residents have protested after the ambulance fare from Jumla to Nepalgunj was set at NPR 25,000. Local people have expressed dissatisfaction, accusing the District Ambulance Committee of arbitrarily setting the fare rate.

Kiran Kumar Sharma, Acting Chief of the Public Health Service Office, informed that the fare rate for ambulances operating within the district was determined in a meeting chaired by Deepak Poudel, the Convener of the District Ambulance Committee and Chief District Officer (CDO), on Poush 24, in accordance with the Ambulance Operation Directive, 2082, issued by the Ministry of Health and Population.

Admitting that there have been public complaints regarding the determined fare, Office Chief Sharma stated, "If necessary, it can be reviewed in the next meeting. The fare for an ambulance within Chandannath Municipality has been set at NPR 600, while within the district, it is NPR 100 per kilometer on unpaved roads and NPR 90 per kilometer on paved roads (both ways)."

Furthermore, Chief Sharma of the Public Health Service Office stated that the ambulance fare from all locations in Jumla to Surkhet has been set at NPR 20,000, and from Jumla to Nepalgunj at NPR 25,000. CDO Poudel, the Convener of the District Ambulance Committee, clarified that the fare was determined based on distance and location.

CDO Poudel mentioned that the committee became active to bring uniformity to the fares, as different categories of ambulances operate in Karnali Academy of Health Sciences and various local levels of the district.

Sinja, Tila, and Hima Rural Municipalities, along with Chandannath Municipality, have already issued public notices stating they will implement the fare rate set by the District Ambulance Committee. Local residents are angered, claiming the fares to Surkhet and Nepalgunj are excessively expensive.

Local residents complain that setting such high fares for services targeting patients amounts to playing with the lives of the poor and destitute citizens. However, the District Ambulance Committee stated that the fare was determined based on distance, fuel costs, maintenance, and driver expenses.