108 ambulance breaks down midway in Narmadapuram, elderly patient stranded for hours

A 108 ambulance carrying an 80-year-old woman to hospital broke down midway near Dolariya in Madhya Pradesh's Narmadapuram district, according to a report by Amar Ujala dated 27 September 2026.

The patient was being shifted from the Sivni Malwa Community Health Centre to the Narmadapuram District Hospital after being referred for emergency care at around 3 PM. The report says the vehicle stopped after covering roughly 43 kilometres. The woman was reportedly left waiting for an estimated one and a half to two hours for a replacement ambulance, and family members repeatedly asked the authorities to arrange another vehicle. She reached the district hospital at about 6:25 PM, more than three hours after the journey began, the report said.

The report raised questions about whether the ambulance's fitness and technical condition were checked before it was used to carry a seriously ill patient. It also noted earlier concerns about the district's 108 service, including reports of ambulances being misused to carry vegetables.

Why it matters for ambulance owners and drivers

• Regular fitness and mechanical checks of emergency vehicles are central to avoiding breakdowns during patient transfers, as the report's questions suggest.
• Breakdowns during referrals can lead to scrutiny of the entire service and its operators.