Mangalore: Govt Ambulance stranded near Padil - EMRI clarifies
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, Feb 15: Following recent media reports of a government ambulance getting stranded near Padil after its fuel tank ran dry while bringing accident victims, Jagadish P Patil, state head of GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI) which is in charge of Arogya Kavacha emergency service, has issued a clarification to daijiworld.
The accident occurred at Savanur near Puttur on February 8 afternoon, wherein two persons were injured. The 108 ambulance had been promptly driven to the spot of the accident after the call came, but as the ambulance approached Padil on the outskirts of the city, its fuel tank went dry, and the vehicle was stranded on the highway for about 30 minutes. The driver of the ambulance had disowned any responsibility for the incident, but he arranged for another ambulance which arrived in about half an hour.
The clarification reads as follows:
"Arogya Kavacha 108 is a FREE emergency service and operates 517 ambulances in the state of Karnataka and handles approximately 1800 emergencies per day. This services is running successfully for the fifth year having started on November 1, 2008 in Karnataka.
The reported incident which appeared on 9th Feb, 2013 is not the true representation of our total operations because each of the ambulances have been provided with petro cards for fuel filling.
It is the responsibility of the Pilot (Driver) to ensure diesel is filled and basic maintenances are carried in day to day operation.
However, this is one of the stray incidents that has occurred. We have taken stock of the situation and have taken appropriate corrective action so such instances do not repeat in future.
We are committed towards providing world class Emergency care to our citizens and we will continue to do so."