No ambulance, Dera Bassi couple ferry son in cart

Gaurav Kanthwal

Zirakpur, November 10

A teary-eyed mother held on to the glucose bottle as a desperate father steered a motorised cart to ferry their sick son nearly 16 km from Dera Bassi to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, for treatment after failing to find an ambulance this afternoon.

This at a time when the government is making tall claims about putting citizens’ health on top of their priority list and promising prompt assistance on a dedicated helpline. Ehtesham, 20, son of Dera Bassi-based used cloth dealer Abdul Ahad, had been undergoing treatment at a private clinic for the past three days, but his condition worsened and had to be taken to the Civil Hospital there at 10 am.

Didn’t get help

}My son’s platelet count was 22,000. I called up helpline for an ambulance, but they claimed non-availability. I chose not to take chance. —Abdul Ahad, Cloth dealer

Will probe matter

Doctors try to help patients as far as possible. We will probe the matter and take requisite measures to prevent recurrence. —Dr Adarshpal Kaur, Mohali Civil Surgeon

Finding little improvement in his medical condition, the doctors referred him to the GMCH-32. However, when they asked for an ambulance, they were advised to call ‘108’ helpline, claimed the father.

On reaching out to the helpline, the responder expressed her inability to provide one, saying there was none at their disposal. Asked whether it could be arranged at the earliest, Abdul was advised to “make own arrangement”.

Without wasting time, Abdul reached for his cart and asked wife Noorez Khatun to hold the glucose bottle, as the couple rushed their son, who lay cramped in a matchbox-sized cart, to Chandigarh around 2 pm. “My son’s platelet count was around 22,000. I called up the helpline for an ambulance, but they claimed non-availability. I chose not take chance of waiting for the Health Department to provide me an ambulance,” said Abdul at the GMCH-32, holding a doctor’s note saying “fever, body aches, abdomen pain and low platelet count. Please refer to GMCH-32”.

Mohali Civil Surgeon Dr Adarshpal Kaur said: “Doctors try and help patients as far as possible. We will go into the incident and take preventive measures to ensure such incidents do not recur.”

Till 8 pm, Abdul had not got the reports of tests conducted at the GMCH-32.