The Nongalbibra unit of the Garo Students’ Union (GSU) has issued a clarification on its earlier statement on the absence of doctors in a recent accident case which had led to the delay of sending the victims for medical care; one of the victims subsequently died.
On February 7 their vehicle veered off the road and fell into a gorge. The victims were brought to the Pathargittim PHC after which first aid was administered. However, the victims could only be brought to the Williamnagar Civil Hospital three hours later.
The incident had led to condemnation from the GSU after it was allegedly found that there were no doctors available at the PHC during the time.
“We found out from an initial inquiry that there was an AYUSH doctor who was present during the incident, which means there was at least one doctor on premises who had checked upon the patients and referred them to Williamnagar,” said the GSU through a press note.
However, the GSU added that there should mandatorily be one MBBS doctor available during all times where possible, as was the case of the Pathargittim PHC.
The GSU further accepted that the PHC may not have been equipped to handle the severe nature of the victims’ injury while accepting the statement of the government as part of the clarification provided.
“We demand that the concerned authorities make it their responsibility to make sure that ambulance facilities be available 24/7 for such emergencies. We also learned that even the ambulance had to be waited upon for more than three hours which might have contributed to the accident victim’s demise as the vehicle was called from another location,” stated the pressure group.
