Police finally allow Andhra ambulances carrying Covid patients to enter Telangana

HYDERABAD/VIJAYAWADA : After sealing borders for ambulances transporting Covid-19 patients from Andhra Pradesh to Hyderabad citing shortage of beds, the Telangana police relented by Monday evening and began allowing them without any hassles. Though no orders have been issued, police officials basing on the “oral instructions” from the government, stopped all ambulances entering Telangana but by evening opened the borders for all of them. 

“We are allowing the ambulances now. No need for proof of confirmed beds,” a police source said.
Apparently to save themselves from further embarrassment as denial of entry for ambulances turned out to be a very insensitive decision, the police beat a retreat and allowed the Covid-19 patients to reach Hyderabad for better medical treatment.  

As the police denied entry during the day, the ambulances queued up at border checkpoints at Kodad in Suryapet district and at Pullur in Jogulamba-Gadwal district. The issue was severe in all these places while blocking was also reported from Khammam and Bhadrachalam, the districts bordering Andhra Pradesh.

But some attendants of patients who could pull strings managed to pass through the border in the morning even though they had no documentary proof of confirmed beds in any hospital, while other patients were sent back. This led to ambulances queuing up on the roads in Nalgonda, Suryapet and Jogulamba-Gadwal districts. 

According to sources in Vijayawada, a total of 46 ambulances en route to Hyderabad were stopped at Pullur toll plaza in Kurnool district on NH 44 though during the day though only 10 of them were carrying patients. 

After Kurnool police spoke to their Gadwal counterparts in Telangana, the latter allowed those who have documents confirming bed availability in Hyderabad hospitals. They cross-checked the details with the respective hospitals, before allowing the patients.  

Retired babus slam decision to deny entry

Narasimha Reddy from Mydukur of Kadapa district had no such bed confirmation from any hospital in Hyderabad and he was forced to return home. “Patients with valid admission or hospital’s confirmation documents are being allowed to enter Telangana,” rued a family member of a patient at a border checkpoint in Krishna district.Earlier in the day, even senior retired bureaucrats too disapproved of the decision of denial of entry. 

Describing the situation as very unfortunate, former secretary in the Union Minister of Health K Sujatha Rao, said:   “I don’t know the State should prevent one who wants to get better treatment in Hyderabad with his money. Only recently, the State said that they have started air ambulance services to quickly reach out to patients in other states.”