When Sutha Jebakumari made that frantic call to the 108 ambulance service little did she know that a day later appreciation and honours would come her way. She was honoured with a certificate as a Good Samaritan by 108 ambulance national fleet head Jayasankar Prasad, here on Friday. “What she did is a priceless effort and we want to encourage such acts, which could make a difference between life and death,” said Prabhudoss, head of Marketing and Hospital Relations, GVKEMRI Hospital, which manages the 108 fleet.
A nurse by profession, Sutha was elated to receive this unexpected recognition. “Being a healthcare professional my first instinct was to call for medical help. I did not know there had been a blast. All that I heard was that an accident had occurred and I immediately made the call. This is sure to be the most treasured of all my certificates” she said.
Jebakumari, returning from a visit to her friend’s place in Tirupur, had just alighted from the Cheran Express at platform number 10 when two bombs planted in the Guwahati-bound train went off in succession at platform 9 on Thursday. The disaster left one dead and 14 injured, who were quickly provided medical attention through the 108 ambulance service.