Now Reading: Latur NGO offers free ambulance to drought-hit families for one year
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Latur NGO offers free ambulance to drought-hit families for one year
The Story in Brief
Shivsankalp Foundation for Rural Transformation, a local NGO based in Ujani village in Latur district's Ausa tehsil, has announced completely free ambulance services for needy patients for one year from 15 October 2026 to 15 October 2027, an office-bearer said. The foundation has waived even fuel charges, which patients were earlier required to bear, making the service entirely free. The decision comes amid severe drought in Marathwada, which has hit agricultural incomes and pushed rural families into financial distress.
Launched in April 2022, the ambulance service has already aided more than 500 patients in four years. It covers villages and towns within a 30-km radius of Ujani, including Ausa, Tuljapur, Dharashiv and Lohara. 'During difficult times, access to emergency healthcare should not become an additional burden on struggling families. Our objective is to ensure that no needy patient is denied timely medical transportation because of financial constraints,' said Dr Mudassir Sayyad, foundation president. The foundation estimates that around ₹4 lakh annually will be required to operate the service, including fuel, driver's pay, maintenance and insurance, and has appealed for donor support so the service can continue uninterrupted.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The foundation has absorbed fuel costs, the only charge patients faced until now, so the service is genuinely zero-cost for the user. Covering a 30-km radius in a drought-affected district, it removes the last financial barrier to emergency transport for families already hit by crop losses. The ₹4 lakh annual estimate is a specific, modest sum that the foundation is trying to raise from donors, not from users. The real open question is whether that funding materialises: the appeal to philanthropists and corporations has no committed sum or deadline attached. Until funds are secured, the service after October 2027 remains uncertain.
Source: freepressjournal.in
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
