Patient dies after ambulance ‘breaks down’ on way to hospital in Odisha

Berhampur: A 19-year-old man died in Odisha’s Ganjam district after a government-run ambulance on which he was taken to a hospital broke down midway and allegedly got stuck for about three hours, police said Friday.

The incident occurred in the Khallikote ghat area on Thursday when the ambulance with the patient on board broke down and got stranded for three hours before another vehicle was arranged to take the patient to MKCG Medical College and Hospital, a senior officer said.

Shankar Maharana, a resident of Aitipur village, sustained injuries after being hit by a ball in his abdomen while he was playing cricket on Thursday afternoon.

His family members took him to the nearby Balugaon hospital, and he was then referred to MKCG Medical College and Hospital here for better treatment.

“There was a delay in shifting him to MKCG hospital. It occurred when he was being shifted to Berhampur by an ambulance. The vehicle broke down in the Khallikote ghat area after travelling around 50 km. It took around three hours for another ambulance to reach the spot and shift the patient,” said Siba Moharana, the elder brother of the deceased.

“We have tried hard to arrange for another ambulance, but it took around three hours for another vehicle from Kodala to reach the spot. We reached the medical college around 3.45 am and doctors declared him dead,” the deceased’s brother said.

Ganjam’s chief district medical officer Sukant Kumar Nayak said they have “no control over the 108 ambulances. The movement of the ambulances was controlled centrally”.

The CDMO said he would inquire into the incident as a young man lost his life, and his family members alleged that there was a delay in arranging for an alternative ambulance.

PTI

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