FATEHGARH SAHIB: The 25-bed civil hospital at Bassi Pathana town of district Fatehgarh Sahib is without ambulance driver for last five months. Now the ambulance van of Punjab Health System Corporation (PHSC) in hospital is without use.

The hospital had already turned into a referral hospital as it lacks most of the basis medical facilities. But now the citizens are facing problem as who will take referral patients to their hospital in emergency cases. Relatives of patients are forced to make their own arrangements to take patients at other hospital.

According to a report, many doctors feel "relieved" by getting rid of serious cases by referring the patients to either PGI at Chandigarh, Government Rajindra Hospital, Patiala or other hospitals for further treatment.

Bassi Pathana is sub division of district Fatehgarh Sahib and patients of several  adjoining villages are visiting the hospital daily but there  is lack of equipments in the hospital.

An NGO  Citizen Club, Bassi Pathana had started ambulance service long time back and it is proving very useful  but now it had to face the additional  burden of the civil hospital also. 

When contacted Fatehgarh Sahib Civil Surgeon Dr SMS Sidhu he said that PHSC had temporally sent a driver from Ludhiana to operate the ambulance but later he was called back around 4 months ago.  He said that he had already written in this regard to department.