BENGALURU: The poor road infrastructure, incessant rainfall and waterlogging in the city have affected ambulance services, resulting in loss of crucial minutes to treat patients, sometimes even resulting in some deaths. A doctor from KC General Hospital said ambulances often take longer to arrive, since they tend to get stuck in traffic due to either poor road infrastructure, constant construction work happening around the city, or even the recent waterlogging amidst heavy rainfall.
Recently, the hospital witnessed 10-15 emergency cases on a daily basis, and in at least five cases, drivers reported to have arrived late due to traffic. They also found it difficult to reach the location on time, apart from quickly bringing the patient to the hospital.
The doctor also said that the traffic police was only informed in cases of transportation of organ transplants and not in other emergency cases. Especially during rain, the situation worsens as the city gets waterlogged and two-wheelers end up parking on the roadside, which leaves lesser space for ambulances to ply and they end up getting stuck.
He also complained that there was no system initiated by the government to prioritise emergency services.
Speaking about the loss of the ‘golden hour’, another doctor from Victoria Hospital said the patient’s health would deteriorate if they failed to reach the hospital on time, and with Bengaluru’s traffic getting worse amidst the rain, they would also notice 3-4 cases of ambulances getting stuck in traffic as well.
Speaking to The News Sunday Express, Pradeep Soundararajan, founder and CEO, Moolya, informed that he lost his father a few years back, after the ambulance that was carrying him got stuck in traffic only a few minutes from reaching Fortis Hospital on Bannerghatta Road. He had developed chest pain and was being rushed to the hospital, but by the time the ambulance reached the hospital, his father had breathed his last.
