Ambulance drivers had a tough time reaching victims

The 108 helpline was buzzing all through the day with several calls being made for taking the injured to nearby hospitals. Talking to DTNext, B Prabhudoss, Head of Marketing, 108 and 104 helplines, said that as many as 70 emergency calls were received from across the city. 

“Some of these could have also had multiple patients seeking the service,” he added. While 11 ambulances were stationed in the city, Madurai and Coimbatore, which were the centre of tension, following the controversy over the bull taming sport being held, had around 10 stationed in the respective districts. 

However, the ambulance drivers had a tough time navigating the arterial roads that were clogged due to the unrest that started in the morning. He added, “Tyre burning incidents and mobs made it extremely difficult to reach the victims. Moreover, some of them couldn’t return on time, owing to the crowds on the streets.” 

Several injured – both police personnel and the public—were treated at various government hospitals in the city.  As many as 128 persons were rushed to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital with injuries. About nine of them are still undergoing treatment even on Tuesday. 

“While one of them is being treated for head injuries, four are receiving treatment for orthopaedic related ailments. The rest have minor injuries,” explained hospital dean Dr MK Muralidharan. The Government Royapettah Hospital received at least 108 patients, who were treated as outpatients.

“Since the hospital is close to Marina Beach, which was the centre for the protests, we were attending to both the injured police personnel and protesters. They were treated for abrasions and contusions, hence didn’t require hospitalisation,” said a senior doctor.