AMBULANCE:

A 4-hour bus ride from Kolkata, leads to a small village called Kalagacchia in the coastal area of
Medinipur District, West Bengal. Get off the bus from Kolkata at xxx nagar, and take a narrow winding
dirt road to eventually reach the village. If accessing the village seems a task, can one imagine the
state of accessing healthcare and medical facilities especially in an emergency?

There are multiple instances of loss of life due to inaccessibility of healthcare and medical facilities in
time or inordinate delays in reaching the nearest hospital. Heart attacks. Snake bites. Poison
consumption. High Fever…. The list is endless. Nearly every family in the village has a story to tell.
The town of Contai, nearly 30-40 kms away, is the nearest place for a semblance of medical facilities,
nursing homes or hospitals. Average travel time to reach the hospital from Kalagacchia is 1-1.30
hours. Consider this:

If a patient suffers a heart attack, the ambulance will come from Contai and take the patient in a total
of roughly 3.5 hours! The golden hour, which could be utilized in transporting the patient to doctors
is lost. And another death is registered.

This is reality and the acceptance of the village people that this is their fate. The 5 villages around
Kalagacchia, with a population of approximately 8000 people, are left to fend for themselves in such
situations or often resign to the loss of a family member.

Without a doubt, the need for an ambulance in this region is of supreme importance. Where lives
could be saved and are not casualties to lack of medical help, the plea for one could not be louder.