108 EMT heeds to duty than ailing dad

RAJKOT: This emergency medical technician (EMT) of 108 ambulance cannot brush duty aside for family, not even when his father suffered a cardiac arrest. Jayanti Gohil is serving as EMT in Vijpadi village of Savarkundla taluka in Amreli district and with only two 108 ambulances in Savarkundla taluka, they are constantly in demand now. Calls of emergency have increased by 50 percent looking to the current situation, said Gohil who took his father, Keshavbhai, to Bhavnagar Sir T hospital and got him admitted, while returning to duty the same day.
“This is a critical time and I have to serve the entire society. For me, my duty comes first before the family,” said Gohil, whose father is engaged in agricultural work.
Program manager of Amreli, Bhavnagar and Botad, Chetan Gadhe said, “The call flow has increased by 50 percent now because private clinics and hospitals are closed in many areas. Therefore, all these calls are directed to us and we have to take the patients to the hospital. With fear of the virus so huge, that people even call if they have common cold.”
The two ambulances between Savarkundla and Vijapadi get an average 55 to 60 calls every day. “This is a critical situation and we need more hands. Vaghela is a inspiration for all of us as despite the crisis in his own family, he hasn’t even asked for leave in this critical juncture when we are busy serving the people,” Gadhe added.