Ambulance stuck on Majitha road as motorists apathetic

Manmeet Gill

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Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 25

Ambulances stuck in traffic jams is a common sight in the city. The situation was no different today as an ambulance heading towards Guru Nanak Dev Hospital was seen stranded on the Majitha road.

Medical experts say that every moment is crucial for a critical patient, especially for the road mishap victims, as even a little delay can prove fatal. Residents say local drivers are generally insensitive towards the ambulance and often ignore the distress siren.

A frequent flyer to Canada, Jaspal Singh, said, “In Canada, I have seen people pulling their vehicles off the road to let an ambulance pass if they spot one coming behind their vehicle. Drivers must be sensitive towards patients. What if the ambulance behind you carries your family member or a friend?”

A city resident, Sumit Sharma, said, “The delay in reaching hospital can prove fatal for patients. We need to become more sensitive towards the issue.”

Residents said roads should be made free of encroachments to avoid traffic jams. “Sometimes you are struck in a jam and despite wanting you can’t let an ambulance pass as there is no room only because a shopkeeper has encroached upon the road to sell his sand or gravel,” said another resident, Jagat Ram, adding that people could be sensitised but at the same time the Municipal Corporation should look into the issue of encroachments.

When contacted, Civil Surgeon, Dr Narinder Kaur said, “Ambulance drivers are authorised to use the BRTS lane available on most of the roads in case of emergency to rush critical patients to hospitals. People, too, should have sympathy towards the patients requiring medical care and let the emergency vehicles pass.” Insensitivity of drivers is often felt. They should respect others’ lives, she added.

It may be recalled that a similar issue recently had received a lot of public when a local youth blocked the way of an ambulance for around 15 minutes accusing the ambulance driver of hitting his vehicle. The ambulance was transporting two children to a hospital.

Two months ago, a car driver in Kerala didn’t give pass to an ambulance for quite long that was carrying a baby needing critical medical care, following which a case was registered against him. The issue had triggered an outrage on social media with people lashing out at the man.