Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Nov 2: A ten-year-old girl, who was suffering from acute dengue fever, had to spend four hours inside an ambulance as she failed to get proper treatment in government hospitals here and also Mangaluru. With the intervention of social service volunteers from here, at last she was admitted into a private hospital.

The patient in question, Badamma, daughter of Parashu and Neelamma couple, who work as coolies, had been admitted into the district women and children hospital on last Monday for treatment. The doctors who checked her said that she was suffering from advanced stage of dengue and chances of survival are bleak. They advised the parents to take the girl to Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru, duly telling them that the hospital has been informed about her. The parents immediately took the girl to Mangaluru by 108 ambulance.

But the hospital authorities at Wenlock Hospital reportedly refused admission to the girl on arrival, citing lack of infrastructure. In spite of their repeated requests, the girl remained inside the ambulance. Although the parents tried to contact the hospital at Udupi, they failed. After about an hour, a hospital official from Udupi, who could be contacted over phone, told them that they would try to get admission for the girl into Wenlock Hospital, but she did not get admission. Finally the frustrated patients contacted social service volunteer from here, Vishu Shetty Ambalpady.

When Vishu Shetty contacted doctors at Udupi hospital, they said the girl was referred to Mangaluru as there is hardly any chance of her survival. Vishu immediately got the girl back to the town by the same ambulance, and got her admitted into a private hospital. He also promised to meet all expenses in connected with the treatment, after which the girl's treatment began.