BENGALURU: High drama prevailed outside National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Nimhans) on Tuesday night with ambulances carrying patients queuing up outside the emergency ward of the hospital.
Around 8.30pm, a police officer from Jeevan Bima Nagar rushed to the hospital in an ambulance with a patient who suffered trauma after an accident. On reaching Nimhans, the senior officer found that 8-10 more ambulances had patients who were waiting for a bed.
“Such a big hospital failed to provide medical aid during times of emergency and nobody was even available to guide us on what to do next. This is upsetting,” said the senior cop. “Patients were lying in the ambulances and some of them were battling for life,” he claimed.
Shekar K, an ambulance driver, said he picked up a 64-year-old senior citizen from Adugodi who had suffered a fall and was bleeding and rushed to Nimhans. “As Nimhans was the closest, I went there but was made to wait for more than one and a half hours. Worried that my patient’s condition may worsen, I left for another hospital,” said Shekar.
Similarly, Samuel, another ambulance driver, who ferried a 43-year-old patient complaining of breathing difficulty, said the latter was denied medical assistance.
Lalitha Kumari, sister of a patient who had to wait for assistance, said she was worried that her brother might die as immediate treatment was not available. “He was suffering from breathing difficulty and was brought to Nimhans as it was the closest from Tilak Nagar. Yet, we were made to wait,” Lalitha said.
Nimhans sources, however, regretted that a police officer created chaos at the hospital in what was a daily situation and Siddapura cops had to be summoned to the spot. They said they have only 15 ventilator beds in their emergency section and can do little when they are filled.
