VIJAYAWADA: For ambulance driver N Ramesh of Vijayawada, life has never been so hectic since the past few days. Ramesh, who works as a driver of a private ambulance, has been shifting 12 to 15 patients a day and another five to seven dead bodies ever since the second wave of pandemic has gripped Vijayawada.
From carrying covid patients as well as dead bodies from hospitals to various places, Ramesh, like several of the ambulance drivers, is under constant fear that he might contract the virus and he has been living away from his family. For any ambulance driver, dealing with dead bodies and the wailing of their relatives is a common sight and they come in terms with what they experience over a period of time. But this pandemic, and more particularly, the second wave, is hard to digest for Ramesh.
“Apart from the hectic schedule, what pains me more is that I have not visited my family for the past two-and-half months. I, along with four other ambulance drivers, have been living in a rented room away from home so that I do not carry the virus to my home,’’ he said, while waiting for his turn to drop a patient at the ESI hospital at Gunadala in the city.
“You can see here now. Seven ambulances are stationed here and I am waiting for my turn to drop the patient. This has been a daily routine and you may believe it or not, I did not even have proper food for the past two days,’’ he said, adding he could not even guess when he will get a call to attend to another emergency situation.
For Ramesh, video calls are the only way that he could see his children, who asks him to come home whenever they speak with him. Ramesh’s daughter Keerti Sai, a class VI student and son Gautam, a class V student, frequently make calls to their father and their only query is “when he will you come home.’’ Sometimes Ramesh does not even have the time to attend to them as he would be busy shifting patients who are in dire need to be taken to a hospital.
“This, unfortunately, has become a routine in our lives,” Ramesh said.
You can connect...
Rapha Ambulance servies owner P Nagaraju - 9849590086 (This is the ambulance service with which Ramesh is employed)
Other Ambulance services in Vijayawada
Bannu Ambulance Services 9396108108
Hector Ambulance Services 9959750017
Ambulances are stationed at GGH and other government and private hospitals and can be approached directly.