District Collector S. Prabhakar came to the aid of a family that was seeking to fulfil what could perhaps be the last wish of a man wanting to breathe his last in his native in Vellore, but only after one last attempt at medicare where his extended relatives live. The family with no means to travel and no monetary support was helped with an ambulance by the Collector to reach Vellore Government Hospital, on Friday.
Mahendran Mani, a wage labourer in Hosur was discharged against medical advice from the Department of Emergency Medicine at St. John Medical College Hospital in Bengaluru on April 29. Diagnosed with chronic liver failure, Mani was advised gastro intensive care. However, the family could not afford a protracted stay in Bengaluru with no support. They decided to return to Vellore, which was also Mani’s native for a final attempt at medical help.
Mani’s wife Poongothai, a flower seller and the sole earning earning member of the family, wanted to take her husband to Vellore, where she hoped for the support of relatives. Faced with the failing health of her husband and means for a vehicle, she reached out for help through the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI).
As soon as Mr. Prabhakar was alerted to the plight of this family and the man’s failing health, and their inability to afford a vehicle for travel to Vellore Government Hospital, he facilitated coordination with the 108 ambulance services.
Ramankani, the district project manager of GVK EMRI-run 108 ambulance services came to the aid of the family immediately and arranged for an ambulance to be sent to Mookandapalli in Hosur to pick up the ailing man, his wife and their son for their transport to Vellore.
“There is no need for a travel pass for an ambulance,” Mr. Ramankani told The Hindu.
“What the Collector and the ambulance management had done was a humanitarian help for a poor family, especially at a time like this. It is to be lauded,” said Sridharan, district president, DYFI.