Free cab service from UP's Gautam Buddh Nagar to Delhi for non-emergency patients

The Gautam Buddh Nagar administration has made arrangements of free cab service for people who need to travel to Delhi for special medications like dialysis or cancer treatment amid the lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus, according to officials.

The administration has tied up with cab aggregator Uber for the "non-emergency" service which could be availed through the helpline number -- 18004192211, the officials said.

Those wanting to avail the service will require to produce documents like prescription and proof of treatment and have been suggested to apply for the service a day in advance to avoid hassle, senior officials said.

The development comes amid reports of some patients facing difficulties in obtaining a special pass to cross the Noida-Delhi border, which was sealed on April 21 in a bid to check spread of coronavirus.

"For patients who need special treatment like dialysis, cancer treatment etc in Delhi/Noida/GBN, we have started an admin-Uber transport service free of charge. Pls call : 18004192211, opt1 They will verify the medical docs online and send the transport Pls book one day in advance(sic)," District Magistrate Suhas L Y tweeted on Monday.

According to district officials, this service is only for "non-emergency" cases, while for the emergencies, the residents can avail ambulances like usual.

The Gautam Buddh Nagar administration had banned the movement of people between Noida and Delhi, except for media, doctors working in Noida or Greater Noida, those involved in COVID-19-related services and goods transportation, from the night of April 21.

The decision was taken on the basis of a report by the health department here, which stated that several people who tested positive for coronavirus had links to Delhi, an official order stated.

"It is clear from the report of the Health Department that there is a possibility of infection from people travelling between Delhi and Gautam Buddh Nagar. Hence, in larger public interest, movement between Delhi and Gautam Buddh Nagar is being completely banned until further orders," DM Suhas had said in an order.

Gautam Buddh Nagar in western UP is one of the worst-hit districts in the state and has so far recorded 129 positive cases of coronavirus, even as 71 patients have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals, according to official figures.