BALASORE: Residents of Balasore district are a disgruntled lot due to the alleged apathy of the state government in providing proper ambulance service to the area. Given the reported dearth of government ambulance service, patients who are required to visit the community health centres, primary health centres and hospitals like Fakir Mohan Medical College and Hospital (FM MCH) are being forced to hire private ambulance during emergencies.
In a recent incident on Thursday, husband of one Mamata Singh, who died while undergoing treatment at the Soro hospital, had to carry the body home in a rickshaw as neither a hearse nor an ambulance was available at the hospital during that time. When he tried for a private ambulance, the driver reportedly asked him to pay Rs 1,500 which he could not afford.
Similarly, parents of a patient Priyanka Singh who was admitted at the FM MCH and later shifted to SCB MCH in Cuttack after her condition deteriorated were compelled to hire a private ambulance as the government-run ambulance failed to reach them on time.
They reportedly had to pay money to avail the private ambulance after waiting for over six hours. In another instance, another patient Baidyanath Panda had to hire a private ambulance to reach SCB MCH as he could not avail a government ambulance. Similarly, several other patients of the area are sailing the same boat since long.
As per official report, the state government had provided around 39 ambulances and 29 Janani express ambulances for the district a few years back. Of the 39, 21 were allotted for urban and rural areas, 11 engaged in FM MCH and four provided at Soro CHC.
Sources said nearly 30 to 40 critical patients are shifted from FM MCH to SCB MCH and other hospital on a regular basis. However, the hospital lacks the requisite number of ambulances to meet the growing needs of patients. Contacted, higher authorities at FM MCH said a proposal demanding additional ambulances for the hospital has been sent to the state government but there is no information as to when they will be provided.