No ambulance, man walks 3 km to hospital

Video goes viral, KDMC commissioner orders enquir y

Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) commissioner Dr Vijay Suryawanshi has ordered his deputy commissioner to conduct an inquiry about a viral video in which a coronavirus positive patient has claimed that as no ambulance was made available for 16 hours, he walked 3 km to the hospital in Dombivli.

The patient who worked as a ward boy in a Mumbai based hospital, tested positive for COVID-19. He had been waiting for over 16 hours for the KDMC Corporation to send an ambulance to take him from his house and admit him in the hospital. Thereafter, the patient walked 3 km to reach the civic-run Shastri Nagar Hospital.

His plight did not end even after reaching the hospital. He was asked to wait for another three hours after which the doctor sent him to Tata Amantra Health Covid-19 Centre in Bhiwandi.

According to the patient he received his corona test report at 5 pm on Wednesday. He then called KDMC and informed them about the report. He was told that an ambulance would take him to the hospital, but the ambulance did not reach his residence till the next day morning.

Commissioner Dr Vijay Suryavanshi, KDMC said, "We have 33 ambulances in which GPS system are available and also three toll-free numbers are made available for patients. We have ordered an enquiry into the incident".

Narendra Pawar, general secretary of BJP Maharashtra said, "This is not first time when a patient had to walk to the hospital. Such incidents have occurred earlier too. He raised an question against KMDC administration’s claim that 33 ambulances are available. He said either the 33 ambulances do not exist or either they are not under the KDMC".