Ambulance refuses 400m ride, 20yo kidney patient dies on stretcher

Agra: A 20-year-old kidney patient died while being rushed on a stretcher from the dialysis unit to the emergency ward of Firozabad Medical College on Monday evening after an ambulance driver allegedly refused to take her the 400-metre distance inside the campus, prompting the medical college to order an inquiry.Kirti Singh, a resident of Madanpur in Sirsaganj area of Firozabad, had been undergoing regular dialysis for the past one-and-a-half years. Her family said she was brought to the medical college on Monday after her blood pressure rose sharply and was given dialysis, but doctors later advised that she be shifted immediately to the main emergency ward as her condition worsened.Her family alleged that an ambulance was parked outside the dialysis unit, but the driver refused to take Kirti to the emergency ward, saying he was waiting for another patient.

With no other option, relatives and hospital staff put her on a stretcher and rushed towards the emergency unit, located around 400 metres away, but she collapsed before reaching there and was declared dead by doctors.Mala Devi, Kirti’s mother, said the family sought help from ambulance staff stationed near the centre’s gate. “We asked them to take her to the emergency ward, but they said they would not move unless they received a call from a senior official.

We then took her on a stretcher, but doctors declared her dead after we reached,” she said.Visuals shared by the family showed a hospital staff member and a relative pushing the stretcher towards the emergency unit. The family alleged that precious time was lost because the ambulance was not provided for the short transfer inside the medical college campus.Chief medical superintendent Dr Naveen Jain said Kirti was brought to hospital with a blood pressure reading of 210 and dialysis was started immediately because of the seriousness of her condition, but her blood pressure continued to rise.

“The 108 ambulance driver should have, on humanitarian grounds, taken the patient immediately to the emergency ward. Ultimately, our staff shifted her there on a stretcher,” Jain said.He added, “The matter is being investigated seriously, and strict action will be taken against whoever is found responsible.” Officials said the inquiry would examine the ambulance driver’s conduct, communication between hospital staff and emergency services, and whether delay in transfer contributed to the death.