BENGALURU: A 29-year-old accountant from Murugeshpalya received his COVID-19 report on Friday, stating that he had contracted the virus. By Sunday evening, there was still no news of an ambulance or bed. R Sreekanth, panic-stricken, waited helplessly.
Be it 104, 1075, Apthamitra 14410, 108, BBMP helplines, or the recently launched 1912, Sreekanth (name changed) had tried them all. “The helplines either did not receive my calls or the person who answered would direct me to a second person. This person would direct me to a third person, and this would go on endlessly. I tried calling hospitals myself but they either don’t take calls or said beds were full,” said Sreekanth.
He finally got a bed late Sunday night, after TNIE shared his contact details with Health and Family Welfare Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey. Sreekanth got himself checked after his colleague tested positive. “The Aarogya Setu app has marked me Covid-positive. I have cold and dry cough. My house owner, who lives on the floor below, has diabetes and BP issues. The BBMP told my flatmate that he will have to be tested too, but no one has come to test him. There is no help for the common man,” said Sreehari.
The 108 ambulance helpline’s response was that a vehicle would be sent only if he managed to secure a bed. TNIE was unable to get a response from Pandey on why this is happening, despite the many helplines launched. BBMP Commissioner Anil Kumar and Principal Secretary, cooperation department, Tushar Girinath, in charge of transporting patients, were unreachable despite repeated calls.