Two patients reportedly died when the Telangana police did not allow the ambulances carrying them to enter that State at the Panchalingala-Pullur inter-State border on the National Highway No.44.
More than 60 ambulances with patients were turned away by the Telangana police at the check-post from Thursday midnight to 7 p.m. on Friday. While the details of the two victims could not be ascertained, it is learnt that they hailed from Nandyal and Kadapa and were proceeding to Hyderabad for treatment.
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By the time Kurnool Superintendent of Police K. Fakkeerappa was alerted about the tense situation, there were 18 ambulances waiting to enter Telangana at the check-post.
“As the situation turned grave for four patients, we shifted them to the Government General Hospital at Kurnool, and sent back the remaining ambulances to various other hospitals,” the SP said.
Telangana officers did not allow the ambulances from the A.P. side when reports last came in from the check-post at 7 p.m,.
“I spoke to them in view of the Telangana High Court order, but they said they had not received a copy and hence did not have the permission to allow the patients in ambulances without e-permission,” Mr. Fakkeerappa said.
One 55-year-old patient from Ballari and one from Proddutur were in critical condition and they are being shifted to the GGH here in Kurnool. “We do not have a paucity of beds, if needed we can accommodate some of them in the 25-bed Police Hospital that has oxygen cylinders too,” the officer added.
Owing to severe shortage of oxygen-supported beds in Hyderabad and other towns of Telangana, patients from other States were not being allowed based on an executive order of the Telangana government, but that was stayed by the Telangana HC on Friday. The High Court had questioned the stopping of the ambulances four days ago.
Meanwhile, BJP State general secretary S. Vishnuvardhan Reddy said it was a human rights issue and none should be stopped. “Will Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his A.P. counterpart Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy allow their kin to suffer like this if they were to travel to Hyderabad?” he asked.