BHUBANESWAR: A 13-km stretch from Capital Hospital to KIMS allegedly took an ambulance an hour and a half, long enough to snuff out the life of a five-year-old kid who was in dire needs of emergency medical attention on Tuesday in the State Capital. Doctors at the private hospital told the family that the child could have been saved had he reached 30 minutes early.
The Jaydev Vihar-Nandankanan Road, City’s most accessed route, did not afford the kid that much time. Video grabs of the excruciating travel by the family showed commuters did not care about giving passage to the ambulance though the emergency siren kept blaring.
The minor boy, Pratik was being rushed to the private hospital at Patia after his condition deteriorated. The doctors had referred him to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack but the family chose to move him to the private hospital in the city to save time. It went in vain as the delay proved fatal for the five-year-old.
“Doctors told us that his life could have been saved had we reached 30 minutes early,” said Nirod, the child’s father.
The grieving family said the ambulance got stuck in traffic several times. “Had there been a dedicated passage for it, my son would have been alive,” he said. The family’s request to some commuters to give passage to the ambulance fell in deaf ears.
“My brother who tried to clear way for the vehicle also sustained minor injury as he fell down,” Nirad said. The incident may have raised questions about why dedicated corridor for an ambulance cannot be created in the City but on show was glaring lack of humanity as regular commuters who would not allow passage to the ambulance carrying a critical patient.
Minor boy dies
Another ambulance was also seen stuck at traffic for several minutes in the evening near Khandagiri square. The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act stipulates that persons blocking way of an ambulance on roads can be fined Rs 10,000.
ACP (Traffic) Swastik Panda said, “The matter is being inquired and CCTV footage examined. As per SOP, ambulances are provided passage on priority,” he said.
The Traffic Police later said CCTV footage showed that at least eight ambulances had passed Nalco Square between 10 am and 8 pm and none faced any congestion. How this could happen during the off-peak hour remains a question, it added.
Though the State Government in 2015 decided to design a green corridor within the city for hassle-free movement of ambulance vans as well as other vehicles providing emergency services in the Capital, the plan is yet to see light of the day.
Allegation of medical negligence was also levelled by victim’s father. Nirod questioned the treatment provided to his son at Capital Hospital. He also complained about expert doctors in the hospital during night.
“When a senior doctor came for check-up, he found that the boy’s condition was serious and suggested us to shift him to SCB in Cuttack,” Nirod said. Director of Capital Hospital Dr Ashok Kumar Pattnaik, however, refuted the charges and said during night, specialists are engaged in duty.