The withdrawal of the 108 EMRI ambulance from Valpoi for nearly two weeks has made transporting patients from Valpoi to hospitals in Mapusa or Bambolim a major problem.
According to sources, the 108 EMRI ambulance frequently broke down while transporting patients and is presently under repairs at a garage, following directives from the Bicholim RTO.
The Sattari Jagruk Yuva Manch (SJYM) had recently submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza demanding a new 108 EMRI ambulance for Valpoi, after complaining about the poor condition of the existing ambulance.
Highlighting the problems with the existing ambulance, SJYM President Vishwesh Parab said, “The 108 EMRI ambulance at Valpoi frequently breaks down. The vehicle has covered over 3 lakh kms in the last five years and is now in a very bad state. The medical equipment fitted in the vehicle is also not in working condition. We have insisted that this vehicle be replaced with a new vehicle.”
Parab stated that the 108 EMRI ambulance had been pressed into service more often than necessary, due to limitations of the Valpoi Community Health Centre (CHC) ambulance.
“The ambulance stationed at the Valpoi CHC has been allotted a fuel quota of 200 litres a month. Due to this limited quota, the Valpoi CHC ambulance runs out of fuel supplies before the month ends. As a result, patients are regularly shifted from the Valpoi CHC to the District Hospital (Mapusa) or GMC Bambolim by the 108 EMRI ambulance. Hence, the 108 EMRI ambulance has been subjected to additional workload. In our memorandum, we also requested the deputy chief minister to allot extra fuel to the Valpoi CHC ambulance,” said Parab.
Acting on complaints from the SJYM, the Bicholim Road Transport Office (RTO) had inspected the 108 EMRI ambulance and did not find the vehicle in a roadworthy condition. “The RTO officials found the vehicle unsafe for patients and since then, the 108 EMRI ambulance is held up at the garage for repair work,” said Parab.
Social activist Ranjit Rane said that people have found it difficult to shift patients to the hospital, in the absence of the 108 EMRI ambulance and the limited availability of the Valpoi CHC ambulance.
“Time is wasted in an emergency, as another 108 EMRI ambulance has to be rushed from either Honda (Sattari) or Sanquelim to pick up a patient in and around Valpoi,” Rane said.
An official from the Valpoi CHC confirmed that 200 litres of diesel is allotted to the CHC ambulance. “Once this quota is exhausted, the 108 ambulance has to be used to transport patients to the district hospital and GMC at Bambolim. In emergencies, however, if the diesel quota of the CHC ambulance is exhausted and if the 108 ambulance is unavailable, the CHC then arranges for additional diesel to run the CHC ambulance,” the official said.
When contacted, Bicholim RTO said the Valpoi 108 ambulance had been given eight days to rectify the defects that needed urgent repairs. “The Valpoi 108 ambulance was inspected on February 10 and we found that the vehicle was not roadworthy as the brakes, accelerator, wheel balancing, window ventilator, patient’s stretcher etc needed urgent repairs. Hence, the vehicle was withdrawn from services,” Bicholim RTO official S Parwadkar told Herald.
“We issued a memo to the company to rectify all defects within eight days. The vehicle has been repaired and nearly all of the major defects have been rectified within the allotted period. However, since the window ventilator is yet to be repaired, additional time has been given to repair this defect. The vehicle should be ready within a week,” Parwadkar added.
