Spare a thought for private ambulances who have been working overtime to ensure that there is no interruption in treating patients
Coimbatore: In the backdrop of an ambulance which is a part of the 108 fleet that caught fire this morning at the Coimbatore Government Hospital campus this morning, team SimpliCity did a reality check on ground zero about the condition of the ambulances and staff that are associated with the private services. The stories are harrowing.
From the ambulance drivers and para medical staff being sleep deprived to the ambulances being highly prone to experiencing a break down as a result of working round the clock, they carry out their duty with constant fear at the back of their minds. One is the fear of the fact that will and can the ambulance they are ferrying the patient in break down due to being driven more than the normal stipulated prescribed hours.
Another fear that is constantly on the back of their mind is will their team of colleagues also become victim to the deadly Covid-19 virus. This, despite taking all precautionary measures and following all protocol. If and when the ambulance experiences a technical issue, getting it fixed is more than a challenge with the non availability of man power to do so and the lockdown that has forced commercial establishment to down their shutters. Left with no other option, the private service ambulance providers have limited the kilometres they ferry patients.
For S. Paratharasarathi, Founder and Owner of Rishi Private Ambulance service his worst nightmare came true. “My team of ambulance drivers and para medical staff tested positive a week ago. Our vehicles have been off the road since then. We are sceptical of hiring new drivers as we do not want to put their families at risk. I am tested positive too. If all falls in place, our services will be up and running in a couple of weeks from now.” Gasping for breath he said.
While one ambulance service provider is directly impacted with the deadly virus, S, Kowshik, Owner and Founder of Raksha Ambulance Service, another private ambulance service provider is having to deal with many-a-challenges in the testing times. From finding it a task to match demand for oxygen with supply, to coping with the unpredictable wear and tear of the ambulance, everything has to fixed on time as every second matters when it comes to saving the life of the patient. With the lock down in place, the company makes necessary arrangements for the mechanic to reach the location where the ambulance that needs to be repaired.
“One of the private companies who deals with providing spare parts for ambulances is kind enough to sell to us the pare part as and when we need it. This saves us valuable time and helps us keep us fleet of ambulance on the road.” Kowshik tells SimpliCity. Recalling an incident that took place about five days ago, Kowshik informed that the respective ambulance had no patient. It broke down within the city limits. The local mechanic was called to the location and the issue was fixed. In a few hours the ambulance was pressed into service.
M. Ponswamy owner of Kongu Ambulance Service is doing his best to cater to more number of patients in the pandemic situation. With hospital beds full to their capacity, the respective patient has to but be stationed in the ambulance either on the ventilator or on oxygen support. He recalls having to have a patient under the care of his team of paramedical staff in the ambulance for one full night as there was no bed available at one of the government hospitals in the city. And just when the patient was shifted to the government hospital and was about to be examined by the medical team at the government hospital, she breathed her last. In the last fortnight stories of patients giving up their battle against the deadly corona virus in the ambulances have been surfacing.
Another request the owners of the private ambulance service providers echo is to ensure that they are provided with uninterrupted oxygen supply. Having to refill the O2 cylinders at the stations is time consuming and shortage of man power to ensure that this job is done adds on to their woos.
If only more number of beds to treat covid patients are allotted to hospitals and if more hospitals are granted the necessary permission to treat covid positive patients, this will solve many-a-problems, besides taking the load off the 108 and private ambulance service providers.