The heavy rainfall in Pune on Saturday evening wreaked havoc on the city’s transportation network, significantly disrupting the movement of ambulances and posing challenges for emergency service providers. As streets became inundated with water and traffic congestion intensified, ambulance operators faced alarming difficulties in navigating through the chaos to reach patients in need.
Numerous ambulance operators reported delays and setbacks as their vehicles encountered obstacles amidst the downpour. Some ambulances broke down due to waterlogging on key routes, while others struggled to maneuver through congested roads, resulting in delayed response times for critical medical emergencies.
One ambulance operator, recounting the challenges faced during the heavy rain, shared the ordeal of a journey from Yerawada to Ruby Hall Clinic. Despite the urgency of the situation, their ambulance broke down at Gunjan Chowk due to waterlogging on the Pune-Ahmednagar Road, prompting a one-hour delay in patient pickup. Such incidents underscored the dire consequences of infrastructure inadequacies exacerbated by adverse weather conditions.
Another operator highlighted the prolonged journey undertaken to transport a patient from Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Erandwane to Hadapsar, a typically routine trip that turned into a six-hour ordeal. The ambulance, carrying a patient on oxygen support, faced significant delays due to traffic congestion and adverse weather conditions, depleting oxygen levels in the cylinder and necessitating additional arrangements for a replacement cylinder en route.
The challenges faced by ambulance operators during the heavy rainfall underscored the critical need for robust infrastructure and contingency planning to ensure timely emergency response in adverse conditions. As weather-related disruptions continue to pose challenges for emergency services, stakeholders must collaborate to implement effective solutions and mitigate the impact on patient care and safety.
