Vikramaditya
Port Bair, Feb 04: In the month of June 2019, the Directorate of Health Services of A & N Islands provided a new ambulance to Baratang PHC, brining joy for the people of entire region. This ambulance was provided soon after a news published by Andaman Sheekha highlighting problems faced by public of the area for several months.
Sadly nearly after one year the new ambulance was brought back to Port Blair for repair works and since then the PHC Baratang is operating without a proper ambulance, causing huge problem to the patients and attendants of the region. Whenever, local leaders raised the issue one or the other ambulance, in horrible shape ,was sent to PHC Baratang and those old ambulances mostly remained out of service because of maintenance works.
As this matter was repeatedly highlighted by local leaders and also by Andaman Sheekha a Mini Ambulance has now been sent to Baratang, which according to the public of the region is unfit for brining patients from Baratang to Port Blair, crossing the under construction ATR.
According to complaint received here the ambulance is not only small is size but also lacks proper ventilation and crossing bad roads of Andaman Trunk Road in hot and humid days is nothing more than a punishment for patients and attendants.
“There were occasions when attendants of patients refused to travel further in the ambulance after reaching Jirkatang from Baratang due to suffocation. Sadly patients can’t get down from ambulance and they have to suffer all the way upto G B Pant,” complained a resident of Baratang region.
Public of Baratang region are now demanding better ambulance with proper ventilation for ATR route so that serious and referred patients can reach G B Pant with minimum inconvenience.
When Andaman Sheekha contacted the Director of Health Services, Dr. Omkar Singh told Andaman Sheekha that “The ambulance of Baratang region was brought to Port Blair for repair but local leaders demanded another ambulance immediately, hence we provided one ambulance, which was available with us. If they feel that the ambulance is not fit for the region we will give Baratang’s ambulance back but the condition of that ambulance is not so good,” said Dr. Omkar Singh.
He added that the Health Services has not received any such intimation from Medical officer of Baratang that the present ambulance is not fit for the region, hence the Health Department will consider that the Ambulance is serving well.
“Unfortunately there is very less choice of Ambulances these days. Now a days new ambulances are very expensive, every ambulance cost nearly 20 Lakhs. We have ordered five new ambulances but those are very high tech, which develop problems in few days and repairing takes a long time here. Looking at local situation we don’t have flexibility,” Dr. Singh added.
However, the DHS said that point raised by Andaman Sheekha is well taken. “Once we get some complaint from Baratang we will take action,” the DHS assured.
