Do not Overtake the Protocol!
The tertiary care hospital in the vicinity of Srinagar has always been a second last destination and hope for dejected patients with severe ailments, who undergo mental distress in addition to their attendants; Then the last pillar of hope – SKIMS Soura; referred there for specialized and advanced treatment.
What would be seen as adding to the despondency and psychological pressure for the near ones or even the neighbors of a patient were the words uttered, “Su Korukh Sowur refer” (The patient has been referred to SKIMS Soura), the final ray of hope, end of the tunnel for a common.
With the establishment of medical colleges and its associated hospitals across the Valley – making advanced medical care and research accessible within the vicinity; the transportation of such patients from the respective pockets of the Valley to Srinagar tertiary care hospitals in future should definitely curtail.
While shifting a patient in emergency situations has always been an uphill task where every second matters, ambulances are lifeline for those requiring urgent emergency and medical care and so are those manning it. Though blocking an ambulance is a matter of life and death and the public driving their vehicles have moral obligation to give way, the advanced navigating system and hurdle-free traffic management for the same is imperative.
Then lies a responsibility: It was amazingly astonishing to see an ambulance moving towards Srinagar outskirts with siren sounds, grabbing everyone’s attention, making everyone alert to give way; for a second it compelled me to ponder upon, had the patient been shifted from any of the district hospital and then navigating towards the main tertiary care hospital in Srinagar was logical; but it was vice-versa.
What needs to be deliberated upon is the protocol an ambulance is required to follow. Is it permissible for the ambulance to always use siren, even taking the patient from tertiary care hospital back home and navigate blindly while not being in emergency or while transporting an official in it for some official work, against the norms.
While patient’s safety is required to be prioritized, do not overtake the ethical practices!
The author is Editor at a weekly Kashmiri,hailing from Khrew
