108 AMBULANCES IN UTTARAKHAND LACK OXYGEN FACILITY, CARDIAC PATIENT DIES ON THE WAY

The health services in Uttarakhand are really making mockery of the system and the government in power. It’s rather immensely disheartening to note that patients and those suffering from critical illnesses are dying on the way while being transported in the ambulances (108) for lack of basic medical requirements utmostly essential rather mandatory for keeping the patients’ respiratory system functional till he is finally shifted to the Intensive care unit in the city or nearby hospitals situated in the townships or district headquarters.

Though there are already shortages of doctors, surgeons, Intensive Care Units and other equipments like ultrasound machines n medical diagnosis facilities in various hospitals compelling people to either shift to cities, towns or metropolises from villages, but the government of the day, despite its tremendous claims of improvement in health facilities nothing has changed that would satisfy people even after 18 years of the separate state coming into existence .

According to sources the ambulances, 108 are hardly available in time, or even if made available they lack basic facilities. There have been umpteen instances of pregnant women in acute pain being transported to hospitals from interior villages on make shift temperory stretcher several kilometres away by people physically and the former giving birth to babies on the way under extreme critical situations.

Hospitals refusing to admit pregnant women due to the lack of facilities or doctors compell them to deliver babies outside or in the hospital precints under precarious conditions.

A recent incident of a fifty five year old village head dying on the way while being transported to the hospital in 108 ambulance in the absense of Oxygen has come to light exposing the poor and shabby medical system of the 108 ambulance services in Uttarakhand.

According to the news pouring in, the medical facilities in the Rikhnikhal block under Pauri Garhwal district is in extremely awful situation.

Last Friday the village head of Sindrauli Gaon in Rikhnikhal block of Pauri, Garhwal namely Hukum Singh Rawat who was referred to Kotdwar government hospital shockingly died on the way while being transported in 108 ambulance of the state government for lack of oxygen.

On hearing the news of the village head 55 year old Hukum Singh Rawat’s untimely sad demise due to the lack of oxygen in 108 that could’nt be administered to him on the way, the people of Rikhnikhal block became furious and angry and protested in front of the Community centre hospital, at Rikhnikhal.

According to the sources the village head Hukum Singh was addmitted to the Rikhnikhal Community hospital last friday after he suffered a cardiac arrest.

Since the hospital did’nt have any cardiologist or senior doctor to ably treat the patient and as the latter’s health condition was deteriorating he was referred to Kotdwar hospital.

The 108 ambulance was called, though was too late as well and the patient was being transported to the Kotdwar hospital but unfortultely Hukum Singh died as the ambulance lacked oxygen which was to be administered to him on the way.

This is one incident that led to a patient losing his life on the way due to the lack of live saving machines or oxygen which is considered mandatory in every ambulance. There may be several other such unfortunate deaths which may not be reported in the interior villages.

In Uttarakhand not only are the hospitals in bad shape lacking doctors, medical equipments, machines and medicines but its ambulance services too are not functioning properly lacking even oxygen cylinders’ one of the most mandatory basic requirement of the patients of cardiac arrests or other critical illnesses.

The government of the day should learn adequate lessons from such instances of untimely deaths and resurrect the health sector as early as possible by pumping more budget in this priority sector.

As per a report published in 2017 in Uttarakhand about 900 deaths occur every year due to road accidents but the state’s trauma services are so abysmal that that its primary level trauma centres where only basic facilities are available forget tertiary treatments for accident victims. The Uttarakhand government claims about having 12 trauma centre but all are shockingly plauged with deficiency of specialized doctors n paramedical staff.

Similarly, the 108 GVK EMRI services which is responsible for transporting patients have often faced criticism from locals for not being able to reach the site on time n also lacking basic medical facilities mandatory for the patient in critical health like hi tech oxygen cylinders n other medical equipments

Whats your take friends?