Boinda: A labourer who slipped into a pit and suffered grievous injuries died waiting for an ambulance that never turned up, at Pokanda village under Boinda block in Angul district Monday.
The deceased was identified as Debadhi Sethy (55) of Pokanda village. Tension flared in the area after the ambulance did not arrive, with villagers claiming Sethy could have been saved had he been taken to a hospital in time.
Sethy was writhing in pain for four hours and finally died waiting for the ambulance, his wife Bilas Sethy alleged. The incident plunged the village into mourning.
The villagers alleged that despite the introduction of the 108 ambulance scheme by the state government for providing immediate healthcare to ailing people in rural areas, the ambulance service hardly operates as needed in the region.
They claimed Sethy could have survived had the ambulance would have ferried him to the hospital in time. Peeved over the development they submitted a memorandum to the collector.
Sources said Sethy fell into a pit and sustained critical injuries when he was out on a morning walk. A villager identified as Niraj Sahu immediately called the 108 helpline from his phone and requested that an ambulance be rushed to the village.
However, there was no sign of the ambulance. Later, he and other villagers kept on trying the helpline but the ambulance never turned up. Later, Sethy succumbed to his injuries. The ambulance service is in a state of limbo due to lack of proper supervision by the government, alleged president Pabitra Mohan Sahu, secretary Basant Pradhan, villagers Raj Kishore Sahu, Prasant Sahu and Basant Sahu.
Sub-divisional medical officer Dhaneshwar Mohapatra claimed the ambulance service was not under his jurisdiction. PNN
