Odd-even scheme proved real boon for patients

As ambulances were exempted from the odd-even scheme initiated by Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal, it proved to be a boon for patients in the national Capital. 

Also due to the scheme, there were less traffic on the roads and it was comparatively easy for them to navigate. 

On regular days, when everyday there have been instances of ambulances carrying critical patients to hospitals getting stuck in massive traffic congestion, these 15 days (January 1-15, 2016) saw a different picture.   

Gopal, one of the ambulance drivers at a private hospital said: “A trip from Shahdara to Green Park that used to take one and a half hours, was reduced to half an hour to 40 minutes.”

Not only drivers, even kin of patients gave thumbs up to the odd-even scheme. 

Sharda Mukherjee (name changed), a resident of R K Puram, whose husband is getting treated in a private hospital in Saket said the stretch along Malviya Nagar-Adhchini, which often witnesses major traffic jams and stoppages, made her nervous at first but the ambulance carrying them reached its destination without any major stoppage.

The officials of Centralised Accident and Trauma Services (CATS) also expressed their satisfaction over the odd-even formula. One of the officials said: “Earlier, the response time used to be around 14 minutes which got reduced to 8 minutes during these 15 days.” The official also mentioned: “At a time when there are about 450 trips daily and there is a shortage of around 200 staff, it was important that they reach their destination without any stoppages, especially during emergencies which witness cases like delivery of a child which often takes place inside the ambulance due to the vehicle being stuck in traffic jams.”