COIMBATORE: A conductor and a driver of TNSTC, Coimbatore, assisted a passenger in a medical emergency by driving their bus directly to the hospital for treatment on Sunday evening. Appreciating their swift action, TNSTC officials felicitated the duo at its headquarters in the city on Friday.
The incident happened on an ultra-low-floor town bus (Route 45C) between Annur and Gandhipuram that departed at 7.15 pm.
Driver P Sasikumar (48) and conductor G Dineshkumar (33) of the Annur branch were on duty.
Dineshkumar told TNIE that a male passenger boarded the bus at Ganeshapuram bus stop and took a ticket to Ammankovil.
"As the bus was approaching Kovilpalayam, the male passenger was sweating profusely, and he appeared to be in difficulty. When I enquired, he said that he was fine, but placed his hand on his chest. I understood that he might be in need of medical assistance. We immediately gave him some water. When we asked if we should take him to a hospital, he refused," he recalled.
"The driver and I decided to take him to a hospital as he appeared to require medical attention. When the bus reached Kurumbapalayam, we drove directly to a private hospital located about 1.5 km away, with 19 passengers on board," he said.
"We took him to the hospital at 7.45 pm. As the bus entered the hospital premises, the medical team immediately took him in for treatment. The bus remained halted until 8.10 pm as we had to inform the police station and the branch manager about the incident. We reached Gandhipuram bus stand, delayed by 25 minutes," he said.
Sasikumar said that with the cooperation of the passengers, they were able to go directly to the hospital. He also thanked the passengers for their patience.
The unwell passenger's son, who did not wish to be named, told TNIE that after attending a wedding at Kovilpalayam on Sunday evening, his father had shown symptoms of convulsions while on the bus.
As the driver and conductor acted swiftly and took him to the hospital, he was able to receive timely treatment. My father was discharged from the hospital that evening, and he is now in good health," he said.