Bolangir: At a juncture when incidents like patients being carried in slings to hospitals due to unavailability of medical vehicles and pregnant women dying while being shifted to hospital due to fuel shortage in ambulance, two employees of a government medical here were found misusing a 108 ambulance sans any fear.
The incident which happened right under the nose of the district administration in the Bolangir District Headquarters Hospital (DHH), a few days back, came to light after two attendants of a patient recorded it on their mobile phones and handed over to media.
In the mobile video, the accused duo identified as the driver of the ambulance and another staff could be seen sleeping inside the ambulance by keeping the AC switched on for whole night. The financial burden on government apart, such an act triggers an imminent danger to the lives of the accused duo also.
As the maker of the video inquired about the misuse of the government vehicle, the accused duo promptly replied that it is a regular affair for them to rest inside the ambulance in AC hence creates no issue.
The practice could be dubbed as alarming taking into account the fact that an ambulance carrying a woman to Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital (PRMMCH) in Baripada earlier this month reportedly ran out of fuel midway causing her death.
While the maker of the video reported the incident to the Medical Superintendent of the DHH Dr Narayan Acharya and the Manager Sudeep Dutta, they are yet to respond on the issue.
The incident has made the 5Ts programme of the State Government an absolute mockery.
Also Read: Shahbaz Nadeem: 296th Indian To Play Test Cricket
Ms Kalinga