India-gifted ambulance left on road in Gulmi

By Tilachan Pandey,Tamghas, Feb. 19: In Gulmi, 18 ambulances meant for carrying patients to hospitals in emergencies have themselves become dysfunctional for a long time. 

The ambulance (Lu 1 Cha 3361) operated by the Indian Army Welfare Committee Tamghas, is one example.

The ambulance (Lu 1 Cha 3361) operated by the Indian Army Welfare Committee Tamghas has been stranded on the main road of Resunga Municipality-8 in Gulmi district for a long time. 

The committee and the concerned bodies have not shown interest in operating it, which has been lying on the road for a long time.

The ambulance, which was gifted by the Indian government and brought with the revenue exemption facility from the Nepal government, is stuck on one side of the road. 

According to the locals, it is unfortunate that the ambulance gifted by India has remained abandoned for a long time in a place that draws everyone's attention. 

 Like this one, 17 other ambulances in the Gulmi district have been in an abandoned situation for a long time. 

Out of the total 56 ambulances in the district, only 38 ambulances are in operation, said Mohan KC, President of the Joint Ambulance Drivers Association, Gulmi. 

He said that the ambulances operated by various organisations in the district could not be repaired in a lack of funds.

Padam Pandey, President of the Civil Society of Gulmi, said various organisations were competing to bring the ambulance. He, however, argued that no organisation paid attention to sustainably operating them.

Pandey stressed the need for the local government and stakeholders to pay attention to the sustainable operation of the ambulances.

Lil Bahadur Basnet, a member of the Indian Army Welfare Committee Tamghas, said that the ambulance (Lu 1 Cha 3361) could not be repaired and brought into operation. 

He said that the ambulance's engine could not be repaired, and the committee has made preparations to hand it over to Palpa Mission Hospital.