Corona: The unsung heroes behind the wheel
Kolkata: The drivers of ambulances carrying Covid positive patients to healthcare establishments round the clock across the state are working silently without waiting to receive any word of encouragement.
The state government in collaboration with a private organisation styled as GVK EMRI used to provide free transportation to the pregnant women to hospital and back to their home after delivery of the baby. In the post delivery period women are being given free transportation to hospitals and return to their home also.
Since the Covid pandemic started, several such ambulances which can be availed by dialing 102, have been designated to carry Covid positive patients to the hospitals. In the past few months around 27 drivers and attendants including 17 in Kolkata were tested Covid positive. Despite that they resumed to provide services after being cured.
According to Prasanta Saha, Operations Head of GVK, earlier the ambulance drivers were not aware of the situation when the pandemic started. Despite that they started providing services to the Covid positive patients risking their lives. However step by step the ambulance drivers and attendants have been trained on how to protect themselves while carrying a Covid positive patient in an ambulance.
Each day a team consists of an ambulance driver and an attendant works for 12 hours. All the drivers and attendants have been given PPE kits which they wear before going to pick up a Covid infected patient. After dropping off the patient at the designated hospital they go to the nearest sanitization point where the PPE kit is disposed of properly and the ambulances are being sanitized. The drivers and attendants of the ambulances are also sanitized using a sanitiser tunnel.
At present around 486 such ambulances out of 804 ambulances are being used to carry Covid positive patients across the state including 89 in Kolkata.
Ambulances are being parked in six locations including Sasthya Bhavan, ID Hospital and other state run Covid hospitals in the city. They are being directed by the Covid Cell of Sasthya Bhavan to pick up a patient and reach him to a designated hospital.