A traffic constable’s motorcycle became a newborn’s unlikely lifeline late on Wednesday night after the Dial-108 ambulance carrying the critically ill infant broke down near LIC crossing in Karwi, Chitrakoot.
The ambulance driver tried repeatedly to restart the vehicle, but the engine refused to come alive. Traffic policemen, the newborn’s relatives and others at the spot then pushed the ambulance in a desperate attempt to get it moving, a video of the incident that has surfaced on social media shows.
The newborn had been referred from Manikpur community health centre to the district hospital. With the infant’s condition worsening and no sign of the ambulance starting, traffic constable Ajay Yadav took the newborn and a family member on his motorcycle and rushed them to the district hospital.
Doctors began treatment soon after the infant arrived. The family said the newborn received timely treatment and survived.
Chitrakoot chief medical officer Mahendra Tripathi ordered a technical inspection of all 102 and 108 ambulances and directed officials to ensure they remained in working condition.