Ambulance Overbilling In Madhya Pradesh Districts; National Health Mission Directs CMHOs For Field Verification

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): After what seems like overbilling by 108 ambulance service providers, the National Health Mission (NHM) has directed the chief medical and health officers (CMHOs) of various districts for field verification. The overbilling led to inflated cost of ambulance services.

Irregularities have been in around 20 districts, including Ujjain, Chhatarpur, Bhind, Shahdol, Satna, Rewa, Jabalpur and Sagar. Ambulance service providers submitted bills of travel up to 10,000 kms to 12,000 kms in a month, which appeared fishy to the NHM administration.

As per the health department, it is not possible for ambulance service providers to cover 10,000 kms or 12,000 kms in a month. After field verification, if irregularities are detected on the part of the service providers, action will be taken against them.

Manoj Kumar Sariyam, additional director NHM, informed the Free Press, “Directive has been given to CMHOs for field verification as 108 ambulance service providers have submitted bills of up to 12,000 kms in July. Prima facie, it seems like over-charging. After field verification, the doubt will be cleared.”