Adil Lateef
Srinagar, July 29: The ongoing violence in Kashmir valley has not only resulted in loss of lives and injuries to thousands but hospital ambulances and their drivers, who are first responders in emergencies, have also faced the brunt of violence.
Officials of the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir (DHSK) said 110 ambulances have been damaged since July 8, when unrest began after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzzafar Wani and his two associates, while nearly a dozen drivers also sustained injuries.
“See, the ambulances of Directorate of Health is first responder in situation like this (violence). The ambulances and drivers not only ferry our staff and patients but also become lone communication source between districts and division because when your phones, networks and internet goes down, then all communication goes through ambulances (office to office),” said Public Relation Officer of DHSK, Dr Rashid Ahmad Parra.
Rashid, who is also the Medical Superintendent of Pulwama Hospital, said in the initial days of unrest, they received 40-50 patients and referred 40 to tertiary care hospitals in Srinagar. “The ambulance drivers braved the situation courageously and referred the patients to tertiary care hospitals with care and as a result the patients were treated well on time and their lives were saved, and many with eye injuries felt relieved,” he said.
The South Kashmir districts including Kulgam and Anantnag saw worst violence and highest number of casualties after the killing of Burhan Wani. More than 40 persons including a policeman died in the clashes. The district and sub-district hospitals of the Southern districts were over burdened with injured persons in first two weeks of the unrest.
Hilal Ahmad Mir, an ambulance driver from Pulwama District Hospital, said: “We faced lot of difficulties while shifting patients. Sometimes there were roadblocks, stone-pelting, shelling and firing and we were supposed to take care of patients to shift them in golden hours. At times, our vehicles were damaged by public and security forces.”
Mir said they tried to ensure to save their lives as well as lives of patients and in the process several drivers sustained injuries while taking link-routes instead of main roads. Not only miscreants among crowds but the security forces were also accused of damaging ambulances and interrupting them at multiple places in Valley during clashes and curfews.
Asked what reason is behind attacks on ambulances by miscreants, the spokesperson of the DHSK, said: “I believe that crowds are emotionally agitated and sometimes when we carry extra staffers… they think that we carry passengers and that becomes the reason for the attacks.”
“But we have appealed them to give safe and uninterrupted passage so that we can make appropriate use of these ambulances and the lives of injured are saved”, said Dr Parra. He warned that if these attacks continue, “then our half of the ambulances would get standstill, affecting patient care”. “So make humble appeal to our citizens that attacks on ambulances shouldn’t occur and our staff should be given smooth access so that they reach duty on time and we can perform our duties well in order to give appropriate treatment to our patients,” he added.
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