Bhubaneswar: Tension ran high on the premises of Capital Hospital here on Tuesday night after family members of a patient ransacked an ambulance and thrashed the drivers of the emergency services when they refused to shift the patient from the government-run hospital to a private hospital.
According to sources, two people of Phalikia slum, including a woman, sustained serious burn injuries in a stove explosion. Some people of the slum brought them to Capital hospital.
When the condition of the woman worsened, the hospital authorities referred her to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. However, the family members of the victim asked the ambulance driver to take them to a private hospital.
When the ambulance driver refused to shift the patient to a private hospital, the kin of the victim ransacked the ambulance and thrashed the ambulance driver. Besides, they also attacked some private ambulance drivers, sources added.
Sabir Khan, an ambulance driver, said, “The family members of the victim and some locals attacked us and ransacked the ambulance. When some police officials tried to restrict them they attacked the cops too. As many as four to five police officials sustained injuries in the clash.”
Gopinath Nanda, a police official, said, “Around 100 people had a face-off with the ambulance drivers. When we tried to restrict them they also attacked us.”
One platoon of police force has been deployed at the Capital Hospital to avoid any untoward incident.