“I am Rajesh N., and here I shall elaborate an incident which I encountered at the Majestic Bus Station yesterday.

At about 3:15 PM yesterday I was walking towards platform number 8, I came across a man in his mid 50’s trying hard to puke and was facing troubles in breathing. He wasn’t able to call out people, but he was clearly in distress. He was feeling stifled, and his situation was worsening by the minute. He let out muffled cries, but clearly, no one paid any heed.

I sensed he was in trouble and immediately walked towards him. I offered him water, but he couldn’t gulp it down. He constantly let out muffled cries, and he indicated that he was facing immense chest pain. Unable to breathe or speak, he stated that his heart was beating tremendously fast and that it felt like it was bulging. His discomfort seemed to increase, but alas, I hardly could do anything to calm him down, till then. I requested the people there to help him, but no one came forward. I shouted at them that I am gone file a complaint against them with the police towards negligence of human life.

It occurred to me that his BP was probably soaring low and by then a few other kind-hearted citizens had gathered around. Some went to inform the BMTC Depot officials, and some tried to call the 108 to reach out to the ambulance, but all in vain. BMTC officials told that the bus stations ambulance, which is supposed to be kept ready for emergencies, had broken down while shifting another patient to the hospital. Do they have an ambulance and if it is true that the ambulance broke down, why there is only one ambulance to cater to the lakhs of commuters who depend on BMTC to travel across the city?

The BMTC doctor was informed. He requested the patient to be brought to the first floor of the bus depot. There is no stretcher or a wheel chair available in the bus station. With great difficulty, we lifted him and took him to the doctor’s room which is a small room with a small bed. The doctor requested his staff to bring some injections stating it was some real emergency. So it implies that there are no medicines kept in stock and during emergencies, a patient has to wait until the medicines are brought from outside? Doctor at BMTC said the patient had an acute attack and also seemed to suffer from diabetes and heart issues.

An officer named Mr. Manjunath rushed to get the medicines, while the doctor administered some injection to calm the patient down till the medication arrived. His legs were swollen like an elephant foot, and even after 35-40 minutes, there were no signs of arrival of the ambulance. We had started to panic as the patient’s situation wasn’t improving. So we asked the employees to use another vehicle of BMTC(All the officials will have four wheelers at their disposal) to shift the patient, but the officials kept saying that the ambulance is on the way.

Another good Samaritan had already informed kith, and kin of the patient and the ambulance finally arrived at 4:15 PM i.e., after almost 1.15 hours. As there is no stretcher or wheelchair, we made him sit an office chair and put him in the ambulance and took him to the Victoria Hospital. It’s worth mentioning that the employee’s of BMTC were extremely helpful, but the department should take notice of the lack of infrastructure when it comes to medical facilities at a major bus depot like Majestic. There should be a functional ambulance system and medicines should always be available to cater to any emergency situation like this.

But on the contrary, I must say that the approach of the commoners is pretty disappointing. Not many were willing to help an ailing man. I would request the concerned authorities to look into the matter so that the lack of proper medical infrastructure can be dealt with and no such patient goes back without being treated.”

Story By – Rajesh N.

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