108 ambulance arrives late, claims baby's life in Karnataka

The two-and-a-half year old was bitten by a viper

A child allegedly died due to the non-functioning of three out of 26 ambulances of the '108' fleet due to a shortage of drivers, and an alleged delay of treatment due to the time it took for a '108' ambulance to arrive from a long distance. Hassan DHO Dr B N Shivaswamy, who inspected the case on Saturday, confirmed this.

A two-and-a-half-year-old boy died in an ambulance of the '108' fleet, on their way to the Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences after he was bitten by a viper in an Anganwadi at Doddakallur village in Sakleshpur taluk in Hassan district on Saturday, allegedly due to delay in treatment stemming from a delay in the arrival of an ambulance of the '108' fleet.

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According to Dr Shivaswamy, Rohan, son of Gowri and Yashwath of Doddakallur, was bitten by the snake while he was playing at the Anganwadi around 9.30 am. The parents immediately rushed the child to the public health centre at Hettur. But the child was referred to the government hospital in Sakleshpur. Since there have been no ambulances of the '108' fleet at Hettur for six months, they had called for an ambulance from Sakleshpur which is 30 km from Hettur.

However, since only one out of two ambulances of the '108' fleet was functioning, there, the ambulance was delayed, so they rushed the child in a private vehicle up to Baakarvalli, where the ambulance had arrived. From there they shifted the child in the ambulance to the government hospital in Sakleshpur. Then, the child was referred to HIMS in Hassan. The child died on its way to HIMS around 12.30 pm. The body was handed over to the parents after an autopsy at HIMS on Saturday.

Dr Shivaswamy informed that out of 26 ambulances of the '108' fleet, only 23 are functioning in the Hassan district. Three ambulances at Hirisaave, Hetturu and Sakleshpur have not been functioning for six months. It has been brought to the notice of the district coordinator of the '108' fleet and deputy director of emergency at the State health department. They have said that there is a shortage of drivers for ambulances of the '108' fleet and the tender for it would be finalised in January 2023.

Apart from ambulances of the '108' fleet, at present, out of 22 ambulances of the health department, one ambulance is not functioning. There are seven Nagu Magu ambulances of the health department. Rohan's parents had only approached ambulances of the '108' fleet.