For ambulances, snarls come in way of saving lives

Amarjot Kaur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 4

Though time is the first causality when it comes to a medical emergency, ambulances in India don’t keep count of the number of lives lost to traffic congestion. Stuck between the devil and the deep sea while ferrying critically ill patients to big city hospitals, most ambulance service providers rue traffic bottlenecks on state roads leading to Chandigarh.

Their grouse reflects the inept medical and health sector in Punjab and Haryana’s smaller cities and villages.

The Tribune correspondent, while tailing the ambulances at city’s most frequented government-run hospitals to identify the gridlock glitches during peak hours, found that there was no service lane leading to PGI’s Trauma Centre from the roundabout ahead of Panjab University Gate No. 1. The perpetually under-repair Sector 11/12/14/15 roundabout obstructed the traffic flow. Other areas like The Tribune roundabout, Sector 8 traffic lights and under-construction Mohali-Kharar flyover were also a major cause of concern for ambulances racing against time.

Tailing ambulances

In a two-hour sojourn during the peak hours (between 8 am and 10 am) at the Sector 11/12/14/15 roundabout, this correspondent saw five ambulances struggling to reach the PGI. It took them some 15 minutes to reach the hospital’s main gate from the broken roundabout. Masons repairing the broken road around the chowk made it worse. Testing the patients’ patience, vehicles clogged the road adjoining the hospital’s main entrance making the ambulances wait just a few metres away from the gate. A slow-moving snarl-up welcomed ambulances at the Mohali-Kharar highway, while at The Tribune roundabout, and throughout Zirakpur, they remained hauled up due to long traffic jams.

At Chandigarh’s Sector 8 traffic lights leading to the GMSH-16, ambulances waited for three lights to turn green between 5 pm and 6 pm. Only sometimes, their alarm was greeted by compassionate commuters who gave them way.

Ambulance service providers

In Chandigarh, there are about 10 NGOs and ambulance service providers who ferry critical patients.

This correspondent called 108 and was put through to S Mukherjee, who is a project manager for a company called Ziqitza Healthcare Limited in Amritsar. “We have been running ambulances across Punjab for 8 years. We have 240 ambulances with basic life support (BLS) and 2 with advance life support (ALS). Tailbacks await us right at Chandigarh’s entrance. At some places, roads are under construction while at other, traffic management is poor. Last year, we ferried 7,082 patients from Punjab to the GMCH-32, 3,102 to the GMSH-16 and 6,273 to the PGI. Unfortunately, we don’t record the number of patients who died on the way. There’s a need for proper health facilities in smaller cities of the region,” he said.

Pleas fall on deaf ears

While sources at the PGI said they had been sending repeated reminders to the Administration about the broken roundabout and the need for a service lane, their pleas had fallen on deaf ears. “Sometimes, the jam, due to traffic lights, extends till the gate. If they can have a service lane for educational institutions, then why not for the hospital? We have been requesting the Administration for more than eight months now. We receive about 14,000 four-wheelers and 10,000 two-wheelers here on a daily basis. OPD cards are also made between 8 am and noon. So that’s a rush hour for us and a peak hour for traffic too,” said the source. At the GMCH-32, another source said the hospital has three ALS ambulances, eight with BLS and 2 rush vans. “When we refer the cases to the PGI, we clock the time taken to cover 8.2 kms to the PGI and back. Usually it should take 15 minutes to reach the PGI from here, but in most cases it takes half an hour,” said the source.

Alternatives, suggested routes

• While UT Chief Engineer Mukesh Anand avoided our calls and messages regarding the broken Sector 11/12/14/15 roundabout, SSP (Traffic) Shashank Anand said: “When we spot an ambulance at entry points, cops clear the traffic and alert other personnel too. To avoid traffic light glitches, we operate lights manually to assist ambulances. We have suggested ambulances to use Udyog Path and Yatri Niwas intersection to reach the PGI so they can avoid the broken junction.” 

• For traffic congestion on the Kharar-Mohali road, SP (Traffic) Harbir Singh Atwal said: “A flyover is being built here and three of its pillars are right in the middle of the road, allowing only one vehicle to pass at a time. We ask ambulances to use the Kharar Civil Hospital road. Also, there are encroachments on the roadside and most vehicles remain parked in front of the markets there, blocking the way. Even to the PGI, ambulances are advised to take the Kurali-Mullanpur route.”