MARGAO
It's been over a year since the tragic death of Shirish Pai Kane, a resident of Colmorod-Navelim, brought the ambulance crisis at South Goa District Hospital into sharp focus.
On August 25, 2024, Kane was critically injured in an accident and faced a delay in being shifted to Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC), Bambolim, due to a shortage of ambulances. Though a 108 ambulance eventually transported him, the delay proved fatal.
The incident triggered widespread uproar and highlighted the pressing issue of inadequate ambulance support at the district hospital. At the time, the hospital had just two dedicated ambulances to serve a daily patient load of around 350. One year on, however, the situation remains unchanged ” or arguably worse.
Despite the hospital now expanding its bed strength from 350 to 500, no additional ambulances have been allocated. The hospital continues to rely entirely on the 108 emergency ambulance service to shift patients from Margao to GMC, Bambolim ” a situation that many medical professionals and citizens find unacceptable.
“When the uproar occurred last August, the hospital was dealing with 350 patients. Now, that the number has grown, and so has the need for a reliable, dedicated fleet of ambulances,” remarked a doctor attached to the hospital. “Patients cannot be left at the mercy of 108 ambulances, which are primarily meant to respond to field emergencies like accidents. A hospital with 500 beds must have its own emergency transport system.”
With no improvement in sight, the continuing dependence on a stretched 108 service raises serious concerns about the hospital’s capacity to respond to medical emergencies in a timely manner.
