SHILLONG: The 108 ambulance service, which had come under sharp criticism from Social Welfare Minister Deborah Marak recently for shifting a patient from one ambulance to another ambulance, on Monday clarified that there is no service catering to referral transfer from Tura to NEIGRIHMS, Shillong.
On behalf of GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute, Marketing and Media Relations in charge Aurelius Robert Passah clarified that the 108 Emergency Service has been catering to medical emergency transfer from the scene to hospital and in August, 2010 two ALS (Advance Life Saving) ambulance was added to the service, solely for ISFT (Inter State Facility Transfer) from Shillong to Guwahati and from Tura to Guwahati.
The 108 Service, in the interest of the citizens and the patients, caters to critical referral cases as approved by the concerned authorities.
He stated that the patient who sustained injuries from the bomb blast which occurred on January 9 at Williamnagar was transferred by the 108 Emergency Service Ambulance from Williamnagar to Tura Civil Hospital. The patient was then referred to NEIGRIHMS, Shillong from Tura after two days of undergoing medical treatment.
“Keeping in mind the interest and safety of the patient to undertake the long journey two 108 ambulances were deployed to safely transfer the patient from Tura Civil Hospital to NEIGRIHMS, Shillong,” he said.
He also clarified that that two 108 ambulances is stationed at the district headquarter. One is to cater to local medical emergency cases and the other for ISFT and for this particular referral transfer, the ISFT ambulance was deployed to shift the patient from Tura till Byrnihat after which he was shifted to another 108 ambulance so as to make it possible for the Tura based 108 ambulance to returned to base and cater to other referral cases and emergencies arising from Tura and its adjoining areas.
“Safety protocol was followed during the whole process of intercept transfer and under the medical direction of the doctors and this was pre-informed and approved from the concerned authorities,” he stated, while adding that an inquiry has been initiated by GVK EMRI Meghalaya with regards to the allegation of rash driving from Tura to Byrnihat, as claimed by the Social Welfare minister.
