The staff of an 108 ambulance allegedly left an ailing month-and-a-half old child and his parents on the road at Ganjam town in Odisha when the couple did not pay up the money they allegedly demanded.
Local people in the town came to their rescue and arranged another ambulance to shift the child and the distressed parents to the MKCG medical college and hospital in Berhampur.
According to Ganjam district programme manager of National Health Mission (NHM) Shyamsundar Tripathy, the incident has been taken seriously and three contract ambulance employees — its driver Pradip Gouda, attendant G. Krishna and emergency medical staff Saroj Padhi — have been placed under suspension. Investigation is on and they will be disengaged from duty if they are found to be guilty.
The 108 free ambulance was transporting the child of Anam Das and Nandini Das of Jugudi village to SCB medical college and hospital in Cuttack. The child was first admitted to the MKCG medical college and hospital in Berhampur, but had been referred to the SCB medical college as its condition became serious.
The child’s parents alleged that the ambulance staff demanded money from them. The couple paid ₹200, but the employees wanted more. As the couple refused, the staff forced them to get down at Ganjam town.
The local NHM authorities made alternative arrangement for transporting the ailing child and his parents to SCB medical college.
