Kendrapara: The 108 Ambulance service introduced in the district in 2013 to provide free service during emergencies has failed to meet the needs of the people due to lack of maintenance of the vehicle here.
According to sources, the ambulance service was sought by a villager in Rajnagar block Monday night, but it failed to bring the patient as the vehicle developed a snag. Consequently, the patient was brought to the hospital in a critical condition in a hired auto-rickshaw.
Puspalata Jena, 65, of Kankadia under Koilipur GP became critical as she could not breathe properly due to severe cough. Her two daughters called 108 from Rajnagar CHC. The vehicle reached the patient’s house nearly two and a half hour later. The relatives helped Puspalata board the ambulance. But the vehicle after moving a few metres came to a grinding halt due to breakdown.
Later, the locals arranged an auto-rickshaw and the widow was rushed to the hospital Tuesday morning, after remaining exposed to foggy weather for nearly five hours.
Driver Babuli Mallick said the vehicle was alright when he reached the village. But unfortunately, the ambulance stopped a few metres from the patient’s house. According to Diptimayee Jena, the patient’s daughter, the emergency vehicle that carries patients to the hospital has not been maintained properly due to apathetic officials of the health department.
According to a senior official of the district headquarters hospital, 14 ambulance vehicles are engaged in the district. Due to improper maintenance, the vehicles are developing technical snag frequently.
When contacted, Kendrapara Collector Samarth Verma said the incident is unfortunate. He said he would ask the Kendrapara CDMO to investigate the matter and ensure that such incidents do not recur in future.
PNN