Ifugao town regulates use of its ambulance

By Dan B. Codamon

LAMUT, Ifugao-- The municipal government here has promulgated policies for proper and effective use of its ambulance to prevent abuses and promote residents’ access to its services.

The policies issued provided that the ambulance should be used only and solely for medical ambulance purposes such as the transport of sick people to and from the Rural Health Unit or in the municipality to any hospital or when a patient requires its use when discharged from any hospital.

It can also be used by personnel of the RHU in the performance of their official functions during medical missions and emergency cases like an outbreak of epidemic and natural disasters .

Prohibited acts in the use of the ambulance are going to seminars meetings, conventions and other similar activities, used as service in going to weddings, funerals and other social occasions in and outside the municipality, parking in front or near bars, disco pubs, folk houses, drinking dens and other similar establishments.

The ambulance will only be driven by the authorized driver of the RHU except in case of incapacity or unavailability of the authorized driver can it be driven by a competent driver who is a permanent driver of the municipal government.

On the other hand, patients who use the ambulance shall be charged the fees based on a radius set from the Municipal Health Office as follows: P300 within 30 kilometer radius and below; P500 from 31-50 kilometer radius, P1,000 from 51-100 kilometer radius and P2,000 from 100-300 kilometer radius.

All fees collected in the use of the ambulance will be issued official receipts and shall be deposited with the Municipal Treasury Office under a Trust Fund for the maintenance of the vehicle.