Lockdown: Elderly woman waits 10 hrs at Delhi bus stop to get medical aid for ill son

Sitting at Ambedkar Nagar bus depot since 4 am in the morning, an elderly woman from Sangam Vihar area of the national capital kept dialing 112 and the local police station seeking assistance to take his son to a nearby hospital, who was suffering from high fever and difficulty in breathing. It was only after a local gentleman intervened that an ambulance finally arrived at 3:40 pm in the afternoon and took the ill man to a nearby hospital.

Delhi: Despite tall claims made by the Centre and state government of providing swift assistance to those in need amid the nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, an elderly woman had to wait at a Delhi bus stop for more than 10 hours to avail medical aid for her ailing son.

Sitting at Ambedkar Nagar bus depot since 4 am in the morning, an elderly woman from Sangam Vihar area of the national capital kept dialing 112 (an all-in-one emergency number)and the local police station seeking assistance to take her son to a nearby hospital, who was suffering from high fever and difficulty in breathing - classic symptoms of COVID-19.

"I have been calling the police since 4 am in the morning, but to no avail. I came here from Sangam Vihar. My son is facing difficulty in breathing and has a high fever. I have no means to take him to the hospital. I haven't received any help from anyone," said the woman while pointing towards his son who was lying on the bus stop.

It was only after a local gentleman intervened that an ambulance finally arrived at 3:40 pm in the afternoon and took the ill man to a nearby hospital.

"I gave them water and tried to help them. They asked me if I can take them to the hospital, I told them that I cannot do that... I made several calls to the police and ambulance services, and it was only after several hours that the ambulance reached the spot, " said the man as he displayed his call list showing several phone calls made to the police station and ambulance services.

The 21-day nationwide lockdown - an important measure to flatten the curve of COVID-19 - has caused immense inconvenience to those belonging to the so-called "lower strata" of the society. An evident example of this inconvenience is the death of more than 22 migrant workers among thousands of those who were forced to walk hundreds of kilometres from cities to their native villages in the absence of transportation facilities.