CHENNAI: On a hot Friday afternoon, the GVK EMRI which operates 108 ambualnce service for the health department, received a phone call seeking urgent care for a pregnant woman who was in severe labour pain in Tiruvallur district. The caller claimed the baby’s head was almost out of the birth canal.
The case was assigned to NM Murali Kumar, Emergency Medical Technician and K Raj, ambulance driver at the Seemapuram at Ponneri Taluk in the district. Armed with the necessary equipment, the ambulance team rushed to the spot. “April fool!” cried the caller, when the team called him.
“I had the delivery kit ready. The caller pleaded with me to not get angry at him, and disconnected the call,” said Murali Kumar. This call was not a one-off incident for the officials. According to the GVK EMRI officials, the 108 service receives 10,000 to 11,000 calls per day on weekdays, of which 20 per cent turn out to be ineffective calls, which are missed, inquiry calls, prank calls,nuisance calls and calls that disconnect midway.
“On weekends we receive about 14,000 calls. Due to ineffective calls, a person who needs care might not get it,” said Balaji Premnath, marketing head, GVK EMRI. Stating that prank calls are not new Murali Kumar said, such calls disturb them as such callers do not understand the importance of the emergency service. “Such calls are annoying,” he added.
“Sometimes there won’t be any response from the caller when the 108 ambulance team calls them enroute. In such instances, the ambulance crew will reach the spot, check and come as we don’t want to take any chances,” said Balaji.
A complaint was filed on the April Fool’s caller with the police. When a police patrol vehicle traced the man and enquired him, he alleged there was a pregnant woman in the next street and her relatives’ children had told him the woman was in labour pain. So he dialled 108. But few minutes later they said, “April Fool” and ran away, said police, adding that they warned the man not to repeat such things in future.
(With inputs from Sahaya Novinston Lobo)