Telangana Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha in a review meeting
Hyderabad: Telangana Health Minister C Damodar Raja Narasimha on Thursday, May 21, suspended an ambulance driver after a complaint regarding a delay.
The suspension came after activist Robin Zachcheus took to X and asked if Telangana’s healthcare system on the verge of collapse. “When my family member suffered a sudden stroke, I immediately called the 108 Emergency Ambulance Service,” Zachcheus said
He added that the ambulance reached his residence in Malkajgiri after 40 minutes, after being guided via WhatsApp location pin, as the driver was unable to find the location.
Zachcheus also said that the driver was unwilling to wait for the stroke-affected patient to be shifted. Despite the delay, the patient was taken to hospital in Malkajgiri, where the doctor checked her vitals and referred her to the Gandhi Hospital.
The activist said that the 108 ambulance driver who was waiting to complete formalities refused to take them to Gandhi Hospital and asked them to call the helpline to arrange another ambulance. When Zachcheus called the helpline, the customer care service allotted them an ambulance which was at Uppal, one hour away from the hospital.
When he asked why the vehicle present at the hospital can’t be used, the customer care responded saying, “It doesn’t work that way. The system allocates.”
When the second ambulance arrived, the patient, who had a mild brain stroke with high BP and sugar levels was shifted to Gandhi Hospital.
However, at Gandhi Hospital, there was further delay, as two ambulances were waiting to unload the patient. When the activist took the patient into the emergency ward, the doctors asked him to check for the availability of beds himself.
The activist narrated the ordeal and said, “The doctor we finally met was polite and asked for a CT Brain scan. Getting the requisition form itself involved manual paperwork and stamps.” He said that even after being allotted a room, the patient had to wait for half an hour to get the CT scan done.
Responding to the complaint and the concerns raised by Zachcheus, the health minister’s office said “We deeply regret the distress caused to your family during a medical emergency.”
It added that the 108 Ambulance driver, Kailash Rathore, acted negligently and violated the Standard Operating Procedure in shifting a patient in distress, has been placed under suspension with immediate effect.
A comprehensive inquiry is being conducted into the entire incident, and strict action will be taken against those found responsible.
The minister’s office said that the Government of Telangana is continuously strengthening emergency response services. Last year, 213 new ambulances were added to the 108 emergency fleet, and more ambulances will be inducted soon to further improve response times.
“To save lives during such critical emergencies, the Government is also establishing 109 Trauma Care Centres across the state to ensure timely emergency care closer to people,” the office said.
This post was last modified on May 22, 2026 10:25 am