108 fails a Cuttack doctor this time

CUTTACK: The 108 ambulance, the much-hyped emergency service launched by the State Government to help  patients in need, failed to save the life of a city-based Homeopathy doctor, Madhu Sudan Ojha.
According to Ojha’s wife Rajashree, on January 1 midnight the doctor complained of chest pain at their Bardhan Compound residence near Station Bazaar and asked her to arrange a vehicle to shift him to SCB Medical College and Hospital. She dialled 108 for an ambulance but the call centre executive went on seeking information to complete his paperwork for about five minutes.

“Even though I told them about the urgency, they asked me to hold the line. After keeping me waiting for another 15 minutes, the call centre executive informed me that they had no ambulances available at that time,” Rajashree said.

A helpless Rajashree then ran to Station Bazaar and approached the prepaid taxi stand to avail an auto rickshaw to shift Ojha to hospital. While the taxi driver told her to book a ticket at the counter, she approached a GRP constable present at booking counter 2 to help her in availing a ticket as she had forgotten to bring money. But, the constable refused to help though she offered to pledge her gold bangles.
Later, another auto rickshaw driver extended a helping hand by lending her `100 after which she availed a taxi and shifted Ojha to SCBMCH at about 1 pm. But, it was too late.

Ojha had breathed his last by then.An extremely shocked Rajashree filed an FIR with Cuttack GRP while members of local Station Bazaar Puja Committee too lodged a complaint with GRP against the inhuman behaviour of the constable concerned.GRP police station, IIC, Bijay Kumar Mahapatra said two FIRs have been registered and investigation is on. Necessary action will be initiated on completion of investigation, he added.