Apathy or accident? 60-yr-old made to wait 2 hours for an ambulance

On his Facebook post he explained how the State’s 108 Emergency ambulance services also failed him in the need of the hour.
A fleet of 108 ambulance driving through Anna Salai as part of the rehearsal of launch of 108 numbers of ambulances. (Photo | Debadatta Mullick/EPS)
A fleet of 108 ambulance driving through Anna Salai as part of the rehearsal of launch of 108 numbers of ambulances. (Photo | Debadatta Mullick/EPS)

HYDERABAD:  In a shocking case of apathy, a 60-year-old patient from Banjara Hills, who became unconscious because of post-surgical complications, was made to wait for over two hours before an ambulance could shift her to the hospital, which was only 1.5 km away. The patient was in need of urgent dialysis after her creatinine levels spiked and her speech slurred. Her husband took to social media and alleged that the ambulance services of the corporate hospital in Banjara Hills, as well as the 108 ambulance service, did not turn up despite repeated attempts for two hours.

“At 11 pm, we called the hospital and asked them to send an ambulance. We called them several times and they kept assuring us that they would send an ambulance, but nothing turned up,” recounted Mir Ayoob Ali Khan, the husband of the patient.On his Facebook post he explained how the State’s 108 Emergency ambulance services also failed him in the need of the hour.

“I called the infamous 108. The woman on the other side spoke only in Telugu...As I tried to explain my address, she slammed the phone down,” he said Eventually, extended family members rushed in to help and fetched an ambulance from a nearby private hospital. However, after reaching the location, the vehicle’s engine stopped working. The family had to start all over again and hunt for another ambulance.

“We reached the hospital at 1 am. At present, my wife is recovering, but, what if something had happened to her? It is shocking that both a corporate hospital and a State government service fail the common citizens in such a manner,” Ayoob Ali told Express.Meanwhile, the corporate hospital in Banjara Hills has initiated an investigation into the whole matter. Sources from the hospital said that as the ambulance service was outsourced to a third-party agency, it may have led to the delay.

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