Watch: Patient Shifted on Stretcher Amid Heavy Rains in Kolkata

No ambulance, no cover, no umbrella – healthcare workers moved the patient’s bed on tram tracks on the road.

Patient shifted on stretcher amid heavy rains in Kolkata.

(Photo: Twitter/Altered by The Quint)

Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam

Sheer apathy was witnessed on the streets of Kolkata amid heavy, incessant rains in the city as well as in several parts of West Bengal.

A patient, was caught on camera being moved from NRS Medical College and Hospital in the heart of the city to another hospital – Students Health Home, which is 10 minutes away. Only that, it was done on a stretcher amid rainfall.

There was neither an ambulance, nor a protective cover on the patient. The healthcare workers pulled the stretcher on the tram tracks along the road.

In the viral video, a healthcare worker, holding an umbrella to protect himself, was seen moving a patient on a stretcher. However, there was no shield for the patient.

'Investigating Why This Lapse Happened'

Following massive outrage after the video went viral, Superintendent of NRS Medical College and Hospital Indira Dey said that patients are always moved in ambulances, irrespective of the distance, and the matter is being probed.

“We always shift patients in ambulances, if they have to be moved. We are investigating why this lapse happened. Even if the hospital is at a 10-minute distance, this is not the way to move patients. We always use ambulances. I think there has been some kind of misunderstanding, and we are checking the reasons behind it.”

Indira Dey, Superintendent, NRS Medical College & Hospital

As heavy rains, accompanied by thunder and lightening, continues to lash Kolkata, many parts of the city are in knee-deep water. Waterlogged roads are posing a serious trouble for commuters.