108 ambulance stands broken down for three days on bridge near Jobat police station

A 108 ambulance meant to carry patients to hospital in Jobat, Alirajpur district, has itself been standing broken down for three days. When a patient's condition worsens, a family's first hope is the 108 ambulance, so that the patient can be taken to hospital in time.

The ambulance is parked on the Dohi river bridge outside Jobat police station. The vehicle, registration number CG04NZ1231, has been lying immobile on the bridge for the past three days. Its tyre is punctured, the engine bearing is broken and the rear door is tied shut with a rope. The condition of the vehicle has raised questions about the arrangements for emergency health services.

A vehicle that should be ready for emergency service at all times is in this state. The question is why it was not repaired immediately even though it had been out of order for three days.

Jai Ambe Emergency Services (JAES) is the agency that runs the 108 service. Kamlesh Chauhan, the agency's Alirajpur district manager, said a bearing in the ambulance's engine had broken. According to him, the vehicle has been off the road for three days because of a technical fault. He said the service centre in Alirajpur has been called to repair it.

It is also unclear who served patients for those three days. It is not clear whether another vehicle was arranged for the area after the ambulance broke down. Had a patient needed to be taken to hospital urgently in this period, how they would have received timely help remains a question.

The purpose of the 108 service is to bring help to people quickly in an emergency. Regular checks on vehicles and arrangements for immediate repair when faults arise are therefore necessary, so that patients do not have to wait when they need help.