Accident victim spends 24 hours in ambulance due to lack of beds in hospitals

CHIKKAMAGALUR: In a tragic incident, a youth, who was seriously injured in an accident, spent 24 hours in an ambulance, all because he could not get a hospital bed.

Ravi, a biker, fell and was seriously injured near Arenur in Chikkamagaluru taluk on Wednesday morning. Doctors at Chikkamagaluru District Hospital treated him and referred him to Mangaluru. The injured youth went to Mangaluru in an ambulance, but did not get a bed in the hospital.

He returned in the same ambulance and was standing by the roadside in Aldur village. His parents stood helplessly by the roadside with him in the ambulance. The injured youth who went to Mangaluru was sent back from Wenlock Hospital saying there was no bed and no surgeon available.

At Father Muller Hospital too, treatment was not given due to unavailability of beds. From there, at Srinivas Hospital in Mukka, they said treatment would be available only if Rs 80,000 was paid beforehand. The family, who work as masons, brought their son back in the ambulance and stood by the roadside.

Later, Aldur villagers suggested taking him to NIMHANS in Bengaluru and sent them off. Chikkamagaluru has a medical college. Even with a medical college, sending patients to other districts has raised a question whether the medical college is only for namesake.