Telangana: No ambulance, 108 driver dies waiting

HYDERABAD: A driver of 108 ambulance could not get the vehicle for himself when he needed it most and died of Covid-19 on Tuesday night at his home.
Jalla Janakiram (37), who drove people in emergency to various hospitals, could not even get a bed in the very government hospital in Kothagudem he used to take patients to as it was full. The hospital sent him away advising home isolation after he tested positive on Tuesday, but he died a few hours later at home waiting for an ambulance. Janakiram is survived by his wife, two children and parents.
Pasha helped five other families perform funerals
Worse still, his family did not have the money or resources to perform the last rites. It was then that Sk Saber Pasha, who did not know Janakiram personally, came to the family’s rescue. “The family was helpless. They had no money even to buy firewood for his last rites,” said Pasha, a social worker and CPI leader, who has also helped in cremating five other Covid victims.
“The body was kept in one room of the small house in Gajularajam Basti area for the entire night. I was informed about the family’s plight and we took it upon ourselves to perform the last rites,” Pasha told TOI. With the help of councillor Boyini Vijay Kumar and friends Ganga Uma Shankar, Rama Rao, E Sateesh and Punnam Singh, the final rites of Janakiram were performed on Wednesday. Janikiram was a108 ambulance driver for more than 15 years but a year ago services of 18 of them were terminated. The high court subsequently ordered their reinstatement. In the meanwhile, Janakiram had joined a private ambulance service as a driver. On August 25, he went to the government hospital at Kothagudem as he was feeling unwell and his report came positive for Covid-19. As all the 40 beds were full, he was asked to be in home isolation. But his conditioned worsened after going to his house.
“He called up the 108 ambulance service. He was informed that it would take more than one hour to reach his place. While waiting, he succumbed,” Pasha said.