Gurugram Police PCR ambulances connected to the special Covid helpline ferry Covid patients, receive 700 calls
Ujjawala Nayudu
New Delhi, April 28
Gurugram Police in Haryana have converted PCRs (police control room) to ambulances to help Covid patients reach hospitals in time. The PCRs have been ferrying Covid patients in Gurugram hospitals.
It is to be noted that this is the first police force in the country who have converted a police vehicle entirely into an ambulance during the second wave of the Covid 19 pandemic where people are gasping for oxygen, hunting for hospital and beds for their loved ones.
20 PCRs of Gurgaon Police have so far been converted to ambulances. The PCRs have been connected to the recently launched helpline (9999999953) by Gurugram Police Commissioner KK Rao
Speaking more about it, ACP WPS Gurugram, Poonam Dayal Dahiya told BW Policeworld, “The PCRs have been ferrying patients who have confirmed beds in the hospital. The PCR converted to ambulance has a staff of one driver and one attendant, both policemen who have been vaccinated with both doses finished. They underwent sensitization on Covid precautions and trained in basic first aid before getting deputed in these ambulances”.
Around 40 policemen have been prepared to deal with Covid positive patients who underwent workshops under police and medical experts to perform their job.
The police control room vans which are geared up with the public address system and cameras with the wireless services was modified and single beds have been laid at the back seat. Following the Covid protocol, a plastic sheet separates the front row from the back and PPE kits, sanitizers and basic medicines have been supplied in these ambulances.
ACP Dahiya added, “Since the ambulances cannot serve as proper ambulances of hospitals, we ensured the basic necessities are meant for the patient to lie down comfortably where an attendant sits with him/her and ferries them to the concerned hospital. The ambulances have helped many in last few days of its initiation. This is our small effort to help the patients reach hospital in time”.
An old Covid positive woman was recently shifted to a hospital in Gurugram with the help of the PCR ambulance. Santoshidevi (62) who was experiencing breathlessness and was alone at home was shifted to Sector 10 civil hospital through this ambulance. A concerned citizen places a call to the helpline to aid the woman and she was shifted to the hospital in 20 minutes.
The Covid helpline number started on April 25 has received 700 calls from Gurugram residents seeking help for oxygen, hospitals and plasma in merely three days of its start.
In addition to that, the policemen deployed at the helpline to attend the distress calls were also trained by the Gurugram Police and equipped with information on hospitals, doctors, blood banks, NGOs and other resources to aid the callers immediately.
