A 46 year-old man, Anil Jain, died on Sunday night as his ambulance was held up at Rajghat due to traffic restrictions enforced for the Prime Minister's convoy.
Family members of the deceased claimed that the delay in treatment worsened Mr. Jain's condition and he died on his way to the G.B. Pant Hospital.
“After Mr. Jain complained of chest pain, we rushed him from Shahdara to the G.T.B. Hospital where, after being given preliminary medical care, the doctors told us that they did not have adequate medical equipment to treat him further. We then shifted him to an ambulance to rush him to the G.B. Pant Hospital only to be stopped at Rajghat. After waiting there for 15 minutes or so we called up a PCR for help but it never came. Later, when we reached the G.B. Pant Hospital, we were told that Mr. Jain was brought dead,” said Manish Nigam, a friend of the family.
Half-an-hour lost
The family members claimed that they lost almost half-an-hour waiting for the convoy to pass.
“When we reached the hospital, doctors there told us that had we come 10-15 minutes earlier they would have had a chance to save Mr. Jain's life. We want to know who will take responsibility for causing my father's death,” said Deepak Jain.
Dedicated lanes
“When the Commonwealth Games were on in the capital there was a dedicated lane for ambulances. When that can be done for visitors, why can't the government ensure that the same is made available to residents of the city also.
“Why should residents be denied timely medical treatment because of traffic hold-ups for VIP movement?” asked Deepak.
