Pune Citizens Lose Faith In '108 Ambulance Service'; Call For State To Take Over

The 108-ambulance service, which was started to provide life-saving medical help within the “golden hour,” is now under heavy criticism in Pune. For many families, instead of relief, the services are giving them a hard time.

Across the city and district, people complain that ambulances arrive late by an hour or more. In some cases, families say they don’t arrive at all. “We dialled 108 when my father collapsed. After waiting nearly an hour, we had to take him to the hospital in an auto-rickshaw,” said a resident of Hadapsar.

Such stories are common in Shivajinagar, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and rural parts of Pune district, where timely medical help is needed the most.

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The service is currently run under a public-private partnership (PPP). While it was expected to cut costs and improve efficiency, people in Pune are witnessing the opposite. Activists point out that the government spends over ₹2 lakh per month on each ambulance, but the condition of many vehicles is shocking.

Several ambulances in Pune run with broken doors, faulty stretchers, or medical kits that don’t work. Some drivers admit that they sometimes have to push-start their vehicles. “It feels terrible to reach a patient late because of the vehicle’s condition. We are blamed, but we are also helpless,” said a driver posted at the Swargate depot.

The latest contract for running ambulances was given to private companies in 2025. But questions are being raised over how these contracts were awarded. A report even suggested that part of the tender draft was prepared at a contractor’s Pimpri office, raising doubts of favouritism and political interference, claimed an activist.

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Doctors at Sassoon Hospital say they often see patients being brought in late because the ambulance didn’t arrive on time. “In emergencies like heart attacks or accidents, every minute counts. But here, people are forced to depend on autos, cabs, or private cars,” said a senior doctor.

Activist Deepak Jadhav said, “Maharashtra should learn from Karnataka, where the state government directly manages the ambulance service. Health services cannot run on contracts and profits. Ambulances are a public lifeline and should be in government hands.”

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Pune’s ambulance staff are also demanding better pay and job security. They say that unless the government regularises their services and takes direct responsibility, nothing will change.

For now, many families in Pune no longer trust 108. In emergencies, they prefer rushing patients to hospitals in whatever vehicle is available. And that defeats the very purpose of a service that was created to save lives in the golden hour.