Price of Rescue: $200-Per-Mile Ambulance Fee Questioned

Island Emergency Services is under fire after a costly emergency response on Ambergris Caye. Director Abner Bacab says his team rushed to Secret Beach when a tourist fell and needed urgent transport. They carried the immobilized patient eight miles to San Pedro Polyclinic, then billed three thousand, two hundred dollars for the round trip. Bacab defends the charge, pointing to the company’s two-hundred-dollars-per-mile rate and insisting the patient’s wife signed off before later disputing it. Now the case, shared online and reported to police, is fueling debate over the high cost of private emergency care on the island. Bacab says despite the backlash, his team acted professionally and remains committed to serving the community.

 

Abner Bacab, Owner, Island Emergency Services

“The person had went back to the hospital after receiving the receipt, and she had inquired with the, some of the employees of the hospital and she showed them the receipt and they said, “Well, you know what? This person is overcharging you, is taking advantage of you, is committing fraud,” and all of these things. They said, “You should post him on Facebook,” and actually go and make a report to the police station. Of which the following day I did go to the station. Was called by one of the officers in charge, and we met and we discussed about it with the officer being there, the patient’s wife. She said her story, everything that she felt that she needed to say, you know. In the end, although she had posted me on Facebook and she had to a certain point been slandering my name and defaming our ambulance service. Like what I told her “Tomorrow you fly to America. Your life goes on. But what you have done here for me; I have to live with it. I live here. I’ve been living here for twenty-six years. Nonetheless, I will, I’m still prepared to offer you a reimbursement of five hundred US, One thousand Belize, no.” Of which she refused, no. So, uh, we couldn’t reach an agreement, and then we didn’t have more to talk about, you know. I mean, I was generous enough to say, “We will give you a discount,” apart from what she had done, no, but she didn’t accept, so she continued her day and I went on with my day as well.”

 

The customer subsequently disputed the credit card charges at the bank, however, Bacab has submitted his supporting documents, and the matter is now under review.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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