Traffic jam on highway claims lives of two cardiac patients in Kerala

Tragic deaths of two patients due to traffic snarl on national highway spark complaints against poor management.

A snarl-up on the Ramanattukara-Kakkanchery stretch of the national highway claimed the lives of two critically ill patients from Malappuram district in Kerala on Saturday (December 28, 2024) night.

The incident came to light when the ambulance drivers who took the patients to two different hospitals in Kozhikode district came up with complaints on Monday (December 30, 2024) against the poor traffic management that allegedly delayed the emergency medical care for the patients.

The two patients who succumbed to cardiac-related ailments were identified as Sulaikha from Edarikode and Shajil Kumar from Vallikkunnu. Sulaikha was caught in the traffic while she was being shifted from the Malabar Institute of Medical Sciences, Kottakkal, to Iqraa hospital in Kozhikode. Shajil Kumar’s vehicle was on the way from Chelari to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. Both the vehicles were stuck on the middle of the road for more than 30 minutes which reportedly worsened the condition of the patients.

Though some of the motorists and passers-by voluntarily stepped in to clear the way for the ambulances, their efforts failed to resolve the traffic snarl on the four-lane road at Kakkanchery. According to sources, the two patients who were later rushed to a private hospital at Feroke for critical care by around 7.30 p.m. were succumbing to cardiac arrest. 

A few local residents who witnessed the long snarl-up at Kakkanchery alleged that road-widening works were progressing in the accident-prone area with no consideration for emergency vehicles such as ambulances.

Meanwhile, police sources said the complaints related to the incident would be investigated for further action.

They said senior police officers from Malappuam and Kozhikode districts were in touch with the ambulance drivers to gather more details about the incident.