Covid-19: Ambulance 'hijacked' to ferry critical patient to hospital in UP

In an incident reflecting desperation of the people amid rising cases of Covid 19 and shortage of oxygen, an ambulance, which was on way to take a critically ill patient to hospital, was allegedly 'hijacked' by the attendants of another critical patient in the state capital of Lucknow.

According to the reports, the attendants of a Covid 19 positive patient had called an ambulance on Wednesday to shift the patient to another hospital after the hospital where he was admitted ran short of oxygen.

The driver of the ambulance said that he was stopped by some people on Campbell Road and was forced to ferry another 'critical' patient to the hospital.

''The ambulance was surrounded by around half a dozen people....they took out the keys...they asked me to take a patient to the hospital...they said the patient needed oxygen...they threatened me with dire consequences if I did not cooperate,'' the driver said.

He said that he took the patient to several hospitals but none of them admitted the patient. ''The patient died in the ambulance,'' he added.

Also read: Uttar Pradesh records biggest single-day spike of 34,379 Covid-19 cases, 195 deaths

Incidentally the patient for which the ambulance had been called in the first place also died as the other ambulance took several hours to reach there, reports said.

Several UP hospitals have run short of oxygen and have asked the attendants of the patients admitted there to shift them elsewhere.

Lucknow based Mayo Hospital had even put up a board outside the hospital informing the attendants that there was no oxygen at the hospital and that they shift their patients to some other hospitals.

At least five Covid 19 positive patients died allegedly owing to shortage of oxygen at a hospital in UP's Aliagrh town, about 450 kilometres from here, on Thursday.