Maharashtra: Woman dies after ambulance gets stuck in 3-hour traffic jam in Palghar
There is no trauma center in Palghar, so a local hospital referred Chhaya to go to Mumbai's Hinduja hospital. The victim's husband Kaushik described the situation as unbearable, and busted in tears when he saw his wife screaming in pain for hours.
New Delhi: A 49-year-old woman from Maharashtra's Palghar died in an ambulance while being rushed to a Mumbai hospital for advanced treatment. The death of Chhaya Purav has sparked serious concerns about the health infrastructure and traffic issues on NH-48, which connects Mumbai to Palghar.
Chhaya's husband, Kaushik, who accompanied her in the ambulance stated that they tried hard to save his wife, but the heavy traffic did not allow them to reach hospital at the stipulated time.
Journey to death..
According to reports, Purav suffered serious injuries on her head, ribs and shoulders after a tree fell on her near her house at Madhukar Nagar in Palghar district, on July 31. Due to the absence of a trauma hospital in the area, a local hospital referred her to Mumbai's Hinduja hospital. The 100km journey usually takes two and a half hours. Purav was then administered anesthesia for the transfer and subsequently left for Mumbai around 3 pm. But the pothole-ridden roads and chaotic traffic of NH48 worsened the situation and brought the ambulance to a standstill. Even after three hours, the ambulance had completed only half of its journey. As a result, the effect of anesthesia slowly waned increasing the Purav's pain.
Due to her deteriorating condition, the ambulance drove into Orbit Hospital on Mira Road for her immediate treatment. It was about 30 km away from Hinduja Hospital. But it was already late, when the ambulance reached the hospital as the doctors declared Purav dead on arrival. The hospital authorities added that they could have saved the victim if she was brought to the hospital at least half an hour ago.
The victim's husband Kaushik described the situation as "unbearable,” and broke down into tears when he saw his wife "screaming in pain” for hours, stuck in the ambulance due to Palghar’s inadequate medical facilities and the awful traffic on NH-48.