Karnataka: Ambulances Need Not Halt For VIP Convoys to Pass
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara has taken an important decision and directed the state police to give priority to ambulances over VIP vehicles.
Bengaluru, July 10: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara has taken an important decision and directed the state police to give priority to ambulances over VIP vehicles. Following the order, the state police chief Neelamani N Raju on Monday issued a directive stating ambulances across Karnataka need not wait for a VIP convoy to pass for rushing patients to hospitals for emergency treatment.
"As per the orders passed from the state police chief Neelamani N Raju, the traffic police in the city and across the state will make way for the ambulances to pass through to get the patients to hospitals in time, even if there is VIP movement on the route," Bengaluru Police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar told news agency IANS. Parameshwara wrote to Neelamani asking the state's traffic police to give preference to ambulances irrespective of VIP convoy movement.
"I have observed that ambulances are sometimes stopped to make way for my convoy. Nothing is more important than rescuing a person in need of immediate medical help. Going forward, no ambulances will be stopped during movement of VIP convoys," the Deputy Chief Minister said in a tweet on July 8. According a report in local media, an ambulance was held up for 15 minutes in the city last month for allowing Mr Parameshwara's convoy to pass first.
In June last year, a police officer Nijlingappa was rewarded by the city police department for making way for an ambulance before then President Pranab Mukherjee's convoy passed on the same route. Instances of vehicular traffic, including ambulance service, being held up for VIP convoys has been receiving flak as precious time would be last during the 'golden hour' (first hour after a traumatic injury) as any delay in rushing a patient to a hospital may endanger a human life. (With IANS inputs)
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 10, 2018 10:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).