In an ambulance, to the hospital

This evening I had the chance to travel in an ambulance for the first time in my life... of course, luckily it was not for myself, but for a Brother who broke his leg while playing football. And what a drive it was to the hospital. The lights were not functioning; nor were the brakes in condition. Add to that the traffic jams at Pendurthi and NAD junction; not counting the road construction along the way! But what surprised me most was the callousness of the other vehicle drivers. Very many would not give way, in spite of the ambulance sirens wailing loud and clear. Not an inch, not in any way out of the way!! The silver lining however was several children whom I saw riding pillion, desperately telling their parents who were riding the bike or the scooter and tapping their shoulders to get out of the way. Some sensitive taxi drivers and bike riders immediately would give way and even block others trying to get past ahead of the ambulance.

Anyway, I thanked God for it was not a desperate case that needed to reach the hospital immediately. We could afford to get delayed. But if it were someone who needed immediate hospital care, the ambulance would very well have been his coffin as well!!

And the other thing - almost a miracle - the ambulance driver and attender strongly refused to take a single pie, in spite of driving us all the way to Vizag, to a hospital which we wanted to go - and not to the nearest Government hospital.