Kasaragod District Collector D. Sajith Babu has said that the Karnataka government has decided to allow entry of ambulances from Kasaragod to Mangaluru on certain conditions.
The Collector said on Tuesday that the Karnataka government had informed that State-owned ambulances would be allowed with critically ill patients who were not COVID-19 affected. Besides, such patients who are not getting specialised treatment for cardiac and neuro ailments, renal tubular acidosis (RTA), and for post-partum complications in Kasaragod would be given permission.
A medical officer’s certificate should testify that the patient is not infected with COVID-19 and has not travelled abroad or to any other States and that he or she has no symptoms of the disease. The medical officer should also certify that the patient has no treatment at Kasaragod and cannot be taken to Kannur.
Special order
The Collector said that medical officers had been appointed by a special order to issue the medical certificates. Travel was only available for medical emergency purposes. The ambulance carrying the patient must be disinfected according to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Only a paramedic, a driver, and a helper would be allowed along with the patient. A medical team from Karnataka would be appointed at the Thalapadi check-post to ensure that the instructions are followed. The patient should have a valid identity card, passport, or Aadhaar card.
The conditions further require the patient to bear the costs of the personal protection equipment (PPE) kit and the isolation ICU. Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru had been converted into a COVID-19 hospital and hence no other treatments would be available there, the Collector said.
Entry denied
An ambulance carrying a patient from Kannur was forced to return from the State border by the Karnataka Police on Tuesday.
Mohanan, a resident of Morazha, who took his 13-year-old son Adhithya Govindan in the ambulance arranged by the Kerala Armed Police (KAP) IV Battalion, Mangattuparamba, was denied entry on the State borders. The child had suffered burns a year ago and undergone a surgery at a private hospital in Mangaluru. The patient was supposed to review the condition a week ago.
Despite showing all the medical documents, the police denied entry for the ambulance, he added.
Meanwhile, till late evening, no vehicles were allowed by the Karnataka Police to cross the State border. The police on duty said that until they got further orders, the restrictions would continue.
