WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2024
SWAPNESH CHARI in Usgao
A six-month-old child died in an accident between a tourist taxi and a bus at Usgao on Wednesday. This Dainik Herald reporter was at the spot and followed the story till midnight and was an eyewitness to the baffling manner in which two ambulances that reached the accident spot turned back because “all were transferred by people” to the PHC Piliem-Dharbandora, barely 2 km from the accident spot.
If the 108 ambulances had gone to the PHC, instead of going back, the now-deceased child could have been rushed to the GMC at 6.40 pm instead of 7.15 pm. These 45 minutes could have made a life and-death difference. By the time the child finally reached GMC at about 8 pm, it was “brought dead”, meaning death occurred on the way from the PHC to GMC
The words of Dr Sandesh Madkaikar, Health Officer, PHC, Piliem-Dharbandora are chilling: “On Wednesday night, an ambulance arrived late to take the injured child to GMC."
The Emergency Response Centre deputy manager Shrinivas Deshpande claimed that they had dispatched an advanced life support (ALS) ambulance from Collem and a cardiac care ambulance (CCA) from Ponda to the accident site, since the ALS ambulance from Usgao was busy in inter-facility transfer at that time. But “we did not receive any patient as all were transferred by people around.”
Deshpande however doesn’t explain why the ambulance turned back and was “sent later”. This phrase “sent later” could have been the tipping point in the fight for the life of a six-month-old baby.
According to the Ponda Police, all the 13 injured including the minor first rushed to the Primary Health Centre (PHC), Piliem-Dharbandora and later six persons who received major injuries were shifted to the GMCH, Bambolim, where the doctors declared the child brought dead.
Police said that a pregnant woman along with a seven-year-old child who were travelling in the tourist taxi have sustained leg fractures and are undergoing treatment at GMC.
The bus passengers, who escaped with minor injuries, were treated at the Sub-District Hospital, Ponda.
The Ponda police have now registered a case against the taxi driver Shankar for rash and negligent driving.
HERALD ASKS:
Why did the ambulances go back?
When the two ambulances reached the accident spot at 6.20 pm the drivers learnt that the victims were critical and taken to “hospital” (PHC). Why did they go back and not rush to the PHC which was a mere 2 km away? They were again sent back later but a child could have been saved if it reached GMC earlier
