Jagatsinghpur: A woman patient died while being carried in a private ambulance to the hospital in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district on Monday, triggering tension in the area with locals damaging the vehicle.
While the exact cause of the 58-year-old woman’s death is yet to be ascertained, her family members alleged that the woman died due to lack of oxygen in the ambulance. The cylinder in the ambulance was found to be empty when the woman needed oxygen support on way to the hospital, they claimed.
Sources said Kamala Panda of Brahmanakhanda village under Aula panchayat had complained of chest pain. She was first rushed to the district headquarters hospital (DHH) in Jagatsinghpur. But when her condition deteriorated and Kamala was referred to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. Family members contacted a private ambulance to take her to Cuttack.
However, when the ambulance was proceeding to Cuttack, Kamala’s condition suddenly deteriorated necessitating ventilatory support. But as the vehicle was carrying an empty oxygen cylinder. The woman became critical and breathed her last before the vehicle could reach the hospital.
Following her death, Kamala’s relatives and villagers vandalised the ambulance and damaged the vehicle in a fit of rage. They also filed a police complaint alleging that lack of life-saving facility in the ambulance claimed the woman’s life.