The emergency healthcare in several areas of Ganderbal district has been severely affected in the aftermath of heavy snowfall as the incompatible ambulances were unable to circumvent the blocked and slippery roads.
In several areas of Ganderbal district where snow wasn’t cleared, people had to take dead bodies or ailing ones on shoulders as the ambulances were not able to ply amid accumulation of the snow.
According to the official sources, one of the reasons that emergency patients are facing a delay in being shifted to the hospitals is that the ambulances sent to take the patient are unable to reach the respective places mostly because of the snow accumulation on roads.
They said that the ambulances available here are not powerful like a 4X4 vehicles who can ply amid snow without any much difficulty.
The locals have also demanded that the ambulances particularly in rural and snow bound areas should be provided with the powerful vehicles to cope up with the adverse weather conditions and heavy snowfall.
Chief Medical officer Ganderbal Dr Mehraj Ahmed Sofi told Greater Kashmir that they have taken up this demand with the deputy commissioner Ganderbal with the request to take up with the higher authorities.
Meanwhile several interior roads in Ganderbal district continued to remain blocked due to the accumulation of snow as the authorities were yet to clear the roads thus causing huge inconvenience to people.
The residents of various areas told Greater Kashmir that the main interior roads passing through their areas have not seen any snow clearance due to which they are facing immense hardships particularly while shifting patients to hospitals.
Residents of Khalmulla Ganderbal complained that the contractor partially cleared the snow in their area due to which the road is blocked.