John Wilbert &Vikramaditya
Port Blair, Feb 17: Family members of patients who rely on oxygen cylinders are frustrated with the inability to airlift their loved ones out of Andaman and Nicobar Islands by Air India, the only airline providing stretcher facilities from Port Blair. The airline has been unable to provide oxygen cylinder support due to unclear reasons, leaving many families feeling helpless.
One such incident occurred on January 26, when a tourist from Uttar Pradesh suffered from serious health issues, including lung infection, and was admitted to GB Pant Hospital. The patient’s family tried to book an air ambulance but was unsuccessful, and was then unable to secure a flight with oxygen support on Air India due to high demand for oxygen cylinders on flights.
The family has requested the Andaman and Nicobar administration and the Uttar Pradesh government to arrange an airline with oxygen support for proper medical treatment on the mainland.
A senior officer of GB Pant Hospital has stated that they are not aware of the matter and have not received a formal request from the family, and have recommended that the family inform the hospital authorities of the situation.
Andaman SheekhaDaily, however has discovered that only Air India is currently allowing stretcher facilities for patients, which is a commendable gesture, but is often unable to provide oxygen cylinder support due to the high demand.
Other private airlines are permitted to carry stretcher patients but have certain procedures that must be followed by the patient’s family, including booking the ticket via the airline’s call center 72 hours before boarding the flight and informing the airline of the patient’s requirements.
Air India has attempted to arrange oxygen cylinder support for stretcher patients in the past, but these special cylinders are also in high demand throughout the country which leads to the problem. The local unit of Air India however gives best support to stay connected with family members of needy patients but there are many things which are not under their control.
The Manager of Air India in Andaman told Andaman Sheekha Daily today that due to high demand in Mainland India the oxygen cylinders for the patient could not be arranged yet.
On December 29, 2022, Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, the Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, visited Andaman and Nicobar Islands and was made aware of this ongoing issue. In a press meet held in the Directorate of Health Services, the Minister stated that the matter is being taken seriously and will be resolved as soon as possible.
Earlier also a patient with burn injuries could not evacuated to mainland on time due to similar problems, which had complicated the case.
Families of patients in Andaman and Nicobar Islands are pleading for help to evacuate their loved ones for better medical treatment on the mainland, and hope that a solution can be found soon.
