New Delhi- The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and others on a petition seeking directions to enact and implement a framework to ensure that adequate life support facilities are maintained in ambulances at all times.

The apex court agreed to hear the plea which has also sought directions to establish an independent committee to conduct a review of current actual status of the operation, maintenance and regulation of road ambulances to identify the gap between the ground reality and the existing standard operating procedures.

“Issue notice, returnable in four weeks,” a bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran said in its October 10 order.

The plea has arrayed the Centre, the ministry of health and family welfare and ministry of road transport and highways as party respondents.

Senior advocate Percival Billimoria and advocate Jasmine Damkewala appeared for petitioners Saiansha Panangipalli and Priya Sarkar.

Panangipalli is the daughter of eminent cardio-thoracic surgeon Dr P Venugopal, who was a former director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Sarkar is Venugopal's wife.

“The petitioners realised the woeful inadequacy of emergency facilities in ambulances when Dr P Venugopal himself succumbed on the way to the hospital emergency room, due to the abysmal lack of emergency life support facilities in the ambulance, being consequently being deprived of oxygen,” the plea said.

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