Wayanad: When Vellachalil Paul was brought to the hospital on February 10 in critical condition with multiple rib fractures and internal bleeding, following the elephant attack, there was no ICU ambulance at the Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH) at Mananthavady, to shift him to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital as the existing vehicle was under repair.
Realising the emergency, doctors on duty called for an ambulance from Sulthan Bathery, 42 km away, to shift the patient. Though there was an attempt to air-lift the patient, the helicopter was not equipped to carry patients in critical condition.
Amid rising cases of casualties and injuries from wild animal attacks, the inadequate medical infrastructure in the district has come into sharp focus. Lack of proper ambulances is cause for concern, say doctors.
"It's not just in Mananthavady, but across hospitals, the condition of almost all ambulances is the same Even if one gets repaired, it will be back in the workshop soon for one reason or the other," a doctor said.
“Health department vehicles can only be repaired in its workshop at Kalpetta. But rather than repairing, they are specialised in ensuring the vehicles do not run properly," the person alleged.
If it's a major mechanical problem, the prolonged procedures will extend the repair period to a month, sources said.
The major impediment in getting clearance for repair work is the rule that the amount a hospital superintendent (be that of taluk or district hospital) and District Medical Officers can approve are capped at Rs 1,000 and Rs 15,000, respectively.
If the amount of work estimate exceeds this limit, then the Directorate of Health Services has to approve it. That means the repair work in Wayanad will start only after the office in Thiruvananthapuram clears it. "One solution is to empower DMO to clear bills of up to Rs 1 lakh," a doctor with the district hospital said. Key health sector officials have been demanding it for the past many years, the person pointed out.
Moreover, there should be a proper checking mechanism to see that repairs are carried out properly so that private agencies do not profit due to the lack of ambulances in the public sector.
