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RESCUE ACT
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Speed kills. But in their case it saves lives. S. SHIVAKUMAR hits the road with ambulance drivers
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Distress managers: Ambulance drivers (left to right) Arumugam, Raghu, Munusamy and David. — Pic by R.Ragu
THE SCREAMING sirens and flashing red lights force other vehicles to a sudden halt; not stopping at signals, they move at breakneck speed, flouting all traffic norms as if their life depends on it. In reality, a patient's life does depend on how fast they drive.
Ambulance drivers in the metro feel a rush of adrenaline while speeding through congested city roads and narrow streets. It is not the same as the speeding autorickshaws, buses or cars. To them, the objective is to save a life, a reward they get if they reach the hospital in time.
The drivers could be famous if their lives made it to the small screen, just as "Ambulance Crew Service," a serial on the U.K.'s Channel 4 has made their tribe community heroes. It is based on the services of St. James Hospital in Leeds.
On the fast and slow track
"Rushing the critically ill playback singer S. Janaki from her Neelangarai residence to Malar Hospital in seven minutes flat and saving her life nearly two years ago" is an experience that is still fresh in the mind of S. Raghukumar, who was at the wheel.
Janaki"s daughter-in-law remembers the day vividly. "She had collapsed because of a drug allergy. Raghu ensured that she reached the hospital in time," she says. One of Raghu's prized possessions is a `Thank you note" from a "Janaki fan," after his work was highlighted in a Tamil magazine.
Finding ambulance drivers following American road rules is nothing new. The 1066 ambulance service of Apollo Hospital was seen doing just that on Anna Salai near Saidapet, a couple of years ago.
E. Munusamy, who was then driving, says, "It was a `do or die' situation as the victims were critically injured in a bus accident near the Marimalainagar Bridge. I drove through congested traffic on the wrong side of the road and the victims got prompt medical attention."
Rushing former Union Minister Murasoli Maran to hospital was an unforgettable moment for V. Arumugam, an Apollo ambulance driver.
He recounts the incident in great detail and with considerable passion. Every ambulance driver seems to have a similar story to relate.
Cause for traffic jams
Ambulances can also be a cause for traffic jams. Sometimes, they have to move slowly, something which the impatient city drivers do not appreciate. "Other drivers yell at us. But we cannot blame them. They do not know that the patient inside the ambulance is suffering from spinal cord problems. Even a small jerk can cause them unbearable pain. So, we move only at about 10 km an hour," says Arumugam.
Handling patients with psychological problems is quite a task, says P. D. David of Malar Hospital ambulance service. "After a lot of cajoling, the patients agree to accompany us, but impose a lot of conditions. The most common is that they want to be seated in the front. The risk is that their behaviour is unpredictable and they could attack or grab the steering wheel," says David.
Over the years, though, the drivers learn to handle such situations. Stones and other objects being hurled at them while going to pick up patients with psychological disorders are "common occurrences in the life of an ambulance driver. We have waited for hours to pick up such patients," says David.
There have been instances where relatives mistake the ambulance for a van and demand to accompany the patient, says E. Munusamy. "While shifting a patient from Tirupati to Chennai, the relatives initially refused to allow the vehicle to move. After a lot of consultation, it was agreed upon to allow three family members to accompany the patient."
Quick decisions
Screams for help from the occupants of a burning car prompted motorists on the highway near Tambaram to call 1066. The sound of an ambulance siren and its arrival gave some hope to the shocked onlookers. "We smashed open the glass windows and rescued the victims. One of the occupants was a popular television actress. A spark in the engine had set the car ablaze," recalls Munusamy.
Taking quick decisions is the key to handling emergencies on highways, Arumugam says. "I once teamed up with a medical assistant to help five seriously injured persons in a local hospital at Marakkanam. We picked them up from an accident spot a few km away and brought them to the hospital for medical aid. The doctor was not available, but we spoke to the hospital staff and ensured that they were safe till they were transported to another hospital. The victims later fully recovered."
For N. Venkatesan of MIOT, saving an engineer who attempted suicide by jumping in front of a speeding vehicle near Chengalpattu, is one of his many `rescue acts.' The victim lay on the road through the night, bleeding. "I rushed him to hospital. Doctors said he was lucky as he was brought in on time."
Lack of infrastructure
Though Chennai is dubbed the Mecca of medical treatment and hundreds of patients arrive by train, the railway terminals lack proper infrastructure for picking up patients, ambulance drivers feel.
"There is no proper facility for shifting patients from the platforms at the Egmore and Central railway stations. It is tough carrying the patient to the waiting ambulance," says Arumugam.
Another risky proposition is bringing a patient down the stairs on a high-rise. "Our job is not just about driving. We often help in transporting the patient to the vehicle.
In one particular case at Egmore, we had to give shock treatment to a patient on the staircase as he collapsed even as we were shifting him." Arumugam said.
However, not all their efforts end fruitfully. And that perhaps is the only thing that makes them feel sad.
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