Balasore: Speaking volumes about the irregularities in the functioning of emergency services in Odisha, a social activist had to carry an ailing elderly woman in his arms after he allegedly failed to get an ambulance at Achyutpur village under Remuna area of Balasore.
The video of the social activist Satyajit Mallick carrying the elderly person has now gone viral on social media.
As per reports, one Sabitri Sahu, who was suffering from old-age related ailments, was initially admitted to Remuna Community Health Centre. Though the doctors advised Sahu's relatives to shift her to District Headquarters Hospital (DHH), they allegedly failed to seek an ambulance at the hospital.
"After getting to know about the incident from her relatives, I dialled 108 ambulance service but the authorities said that some vehicles were not in good condition and others were unavailable," said the social activist Satyajit Mallick.
Later, Mallick carried the elderly woman in his arms for some distance and later hired a vehicle to shift her to the Balasore District Headquarters Hospital. After the video of Mallick carrying the woman went viral, he clarified that he did that only for social work.
Speaking on the issue, Chief District Medical Officer(CDMO) of Balasore, Dulal Sen, said, "The ambulance service is provided through an agency. We don't have any control over it."
However, the hospital authorities could not be contacted over the incident.