6 months on, BMC’s cardiac ambulances gathering dust

First there was the delay in acquiring the cardiac ambulances, and now they are lying unused for the past six months due to lack of trained staff. The civic body had ordered a dozen cardiac care ambulances after the 7/11 train blasts and the 26/11 terror attacks to ensure that victims did not have to be transported in autorickshaws, taxis or private vehicles.

First there was the delay in acquiring the cardiac ambulances, and now they are lying unused for the past six months due to lack of trained staff. The civic body had ordered a dozen cardiac care ambulances after the 7/11 train blasts and the 26/11 terror attacks to ensure that victims did not have to be transported in autorickshaws, taxis or private vehicles.

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Ordered two years ago, the ambulances, which cost Rs 70 lakh each, were obtained after a delay of 18 months. Six were given to the fire department and the remaining to three major hospitals.

The idea was to bridge the time lost before aid could be administered to the victim.

“It’s of no point of having the resources and not being able to use them. We will train the staff at the earliest,” said municipal commissioner Subodh Kumar.

Civic officials said the problem was that the civic transport department purchased the ambulances without coordinating with the fire department. And hence when these arrived, the staff wasn’t trained to use the equipment.

“It was a case of working in isolation. The department that was to use the ambulance did not get the training that it needed,” said a civic official on condition of anonymity, as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

“We will train the ambulance attendants and other staff needed to operate these ambulances shortly,” said additional municipal commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar.