Kamal alias Munna Khan is felicitated by senior citizen Radhakant Kane on behalf of Madganvcho Awaaz on Friday. Captured by : The Goan
MARGAO
Non-availability of ambulances at the South Goa district hospital, including the 108 ambulance service, has come back to haunt the district hospital authorities again.
Two instances have come to light in the last 24 hours wherein patients had to either fend for themselves or arrange their own transport to make it to the hospital in an emergency, indicating that the issue of ambulance shortage plaguing the district hospital is far from over.
Last night, a pregnant woman who was in labour was rushed from the Margao railway station to the district hospital in a taxi after the 108 ambulance did not arrive on time. On Friday evening, a patient who suffered a leg fracture, waited for over an hour at the district hospital, anxiously awaiting the arrival of a 108 ambulance to transport him to Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim.
In the previous night’s incident, the woman, Manisha Bind, was in acute labour pain and collapsed at the railway station. A Good Samaritan, Kamal alias Munna Khan, informed that people gathered around the woman called for the 108 ambulance to shift her to the district hospital, but in vain. “We could not stand by and see the woman in labour pain. Hence, I put the woman and her husband into a taxi and took them to the district hospital,” he said.
Munna Khan, who was later felicitated for his act, said, “When they reached the district hospital, they came across two ambulances parked at the hospital. We do not know the purpose or functioning of these ambulances.” He added, “After the initial hiccups at the hospital, we all heaved a sigh of relief as the woman was not only saved but also delivered a baby.”
Even as Munna was felicitated by senior citizen Radhakant Kane on behalf of Madganvcho Awaaz in the presence of Prabhav Naik, the ambulance issue resurfaced again on Friday evening. A rider who sustained a leg fracture after a self-accident had to wait for over an hour for the 108 ambulance to come and pick him up from the district hospital and shift him to the GMC, Bambolim.
“After examination, the injured revealed he had sustained fractured injuries. The district hospital decided to shift the patient to the GMC. They informed the 108 ambulance to transfer the patient. Relatives accompanying the injured also called the 108 ambulance, but there was no timely arrival,” informed a relative.
District hospital officials maintained that the two ambulances at the disposal of the hospital include an ambulance catering to cardiac and neonatal patients. “The hospital is dependent on the 108 ambulance service to shift patients from the hospital to the GMC, Bambolim. We cannot help since the promised dedicated ambulances are yet to be delivered to the hospital,” informed a district hospital official.
