In a powerful and symbolic act of protest, residents of Anjad town in Barwani district, Madhya Pradesh, expressed their deep frustration with the healthcare system by 'honouring' ambulance staff who arrived late at an accident scene with flower garlands and a coconut.
A Symbolic Gesture of Anger and Despair
The incident occurred on Monday following a serious head-on collision between two two-wheelers on the Anjad-Chakeri road. Anjad police station in-charge RR Chouhan confirmed that five individuals were injured in the accident. According to local accounts, while two of the injured were rushed to a hospital in Barwani using a private vehicle, the community waited anxiously for an ambulance to transport the remaining three victims.
The wait stretched for nearly an hour before the ambulance finally arrived. This critical delay prompted the gathered locals to stage an unusual protest. Instead of hurling abuses, they chose a method steeped in irony. They 'greeted' the ambulance driver, Bhiku Singh, and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Dipesh Ujle with flower garlands and offered a coconut—traditional symbols of honour and welcome—to starkly highlight their failure.
Systemic Failure and Past Tragedies
A local resident, Girish Chouhan, explained the reasoning behind this poignant protest. He stated that Anjad has been grappling with a severe shortage of functional ambulances for many days, despite repeated complaints from the community. Chouhan made a grave allegation that such delays in referral cases had previously led to patient deaths. "We 'honoured' them with garlands and a coconut to shame the system and make the staff understand the seriousness of the issue," he said, underscoring that the protest was aimed at the systemic failure rather than just the individual staff members.
Official Acknowledgement and Explanations
The authorities acknowledged the problems plaguing the emergency medical services in the area. Barwani's Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO), Dr. Surekha Jamre, admitted that the ambulance allotted to Anjad had been out of service for a long time and had not been replaced. She added that following a recent incident where an ambulance broke down while transporting a patient, the service provider company took disciplinary action and removed several staff members.
Providing a specific reason for Monday's delay, District Coordinator for the 108 ambulance service, Kamlesh Chauhan, offered an explanation. He said, "The allotted ambulance for Anjad had been on VIP duty for two days. Due to the accident on Monday, an ambulance was sent from Barwani to Anjad." This statement reveals a potential diversion of critical emergency resources, contributing to the life-threatening delay for the accident victims.
This event in Barwani district serves as a stark reminder of the dire state of rural healthcare infrastructure in parts of India. The residents' creative yet devastating protest has successfully turned a spotlight on the chronic issues of ambulance shortages, maintenance failures, and mismanagement that can cost precious lives.
