By Mahmut Atanur
BEIJING (AA) – Ambulances in China’s capital have installed taximeters in an effort to unify fees charged for transporting patients.
China Daily reported Tuesday that the meters — implemented May 1 — bill patients 50 yuan ($7.70) for transportation for up to 3 kilometers, and 7 yuan for every kilometer thereafter.
If an ambulance is called but not required the patient is charged a flat 3 kilometer fee.
The Daily quoted Deng Liqiang, the head of medical affairs at the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, as describing the rate set by authorities as “reasonable”.
“Ambulances are not like ordinary vehicles, as emergency medical resources are also used when an ambulance is called,” he said.
The cost of first aid in the vehicle is covered by the city’s medical insurance program.
As of Tuesday, a total of 580 vehicles are reported to have been installed with meters.
The Daily reported that different standards are currently used countrywide to calculate such transportation fees, which have led to complaints of overcharging.
A woman in Shandong province is reported to have been asked to pay 3,600 yuan for an 80 kilometer journey in February — more than 10 times the cost of taking a taxi.
