Mohona:In a shocking incident,an 108 ambulance driver allegedly stopped the vehicle at mid way and slept,while shifting a pregnant woman to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur.The incident occurred in the R.Udaygiri block of Gajapati district.The driver, suspected to be under the influence of alcohol,reportedly fell asleep midway through the journey,leaving the patient,Nandini Raita(29) of Kanikipadar village,and her family in a state of panic.Sources said,yesterday Nandini was taken to Chandragiri Hospital after experiencing labour pain.However, due to complications,she was referred to MKCGMCH for better treatment.Trouble began when the ambulance came to a halt midway near Luhagudi chowk and the driver was found asleep.Despite repeated attempts by the family members to wake him up,he remained unresponsive.Bijay raita husband of Nandini said,the driver was driving vehicle dangerously for some KM and stopped near the chowk.We tried to awake him,but failed.Since my wife was reffered due to complicacies,we hired another vehicle and reached the MCH.After major surgery Nandini gave birth to a baby and both are stable said Bijay.The incident earned outrage in the area.On the otherhand,no doctor of Chandragiri hospital was available for comment,but hospital sources denied the drunk allegation against the driver.The sources said the driver,a out sourced worker suddenly fell sick and slept.However the said driver has been disengaged from the ambulance to avoid any risk for the patients.The matter is looked into.
