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An ambulance driver for Tenzingang


Location Tenzingang settlement, Arunachal Pradesh, India
Type Health
Amount £1,800 annually

Background and location
Tenzingang is small Tibetan settlement in remote north east India. It’s remote location and lack of work opportunities makes it one of the poorer settlements in India. Most people here earn a meagre living from field work or small handicrafts.

The settlement has a small health clinic but is is not equipped to deal with emergency situations. Anyone having an accident or a serious illness in Tenzingang will have to make the 45km journey to the nearest hospital. The journey is along dangerous and landslide prone roads and is slow going. Medical emergencies in the settlement can easily become life-threatening.

Buses in the area are infrequent and taxis are both unreliable and unaffordable. But for many years the people of the settlement had no other choice but to rely on these options when they needed to go to hospital.

Project
Generous funding from the Eranda Foundation has allowed us to pay for the settlement to employ an ambulance driver since 2011. The driver, Lobsang Dhondup, now works full-time to make sure anyone needing to go to hospital can get there safety and in relative comfort. He provides immediate on-site treatment and, if further treatment is needed, he drives patients to the nearest hospital.

When he isn’t taking care of emergency cases, Lobsang Dhondup provides other medical services for the settlement, taking pregnant women for check-ups, buying medicines and volunteering at the health centre.

On average, the ambulance is used in 100 emergency cases a year. From injures and traumas to cardiac arrest, a dedicated ambulance driver continues to provide lifesaving support in the nick of time.

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