Bhubaneswar: The relatives of a patient had to carry him to the nearest health care centre on a trolley rickshaw after the 108 ambulance service refused to come to his village in Nayagarh district, about 110km from here, on time.

Musha Nayak, 60, fell ill while working on the field. Suspecting that he might have taken poison because of failure of crops following unseasonal rainfall, his relatives called the ambulance service. As Nayak's condition worsened, his family members were forced to take him to the hospital on a trolley.

Nayak's son, Sushant, alleged that they tried to contact the ambulance service, but despite repeated requests, no one paid heed. "My father had gone to the fields around 4am and fell ill. We found him lying there. We were quite disturbed seeing him in such a state and called the 108 service. Each time, they said it would take time. With no other option left, we carried him on the trolley," he said.

This is the second such incident of an ambulance failing to reach the patient's doorsteps on time. In October, a woman had to carried on shoulders for seven kilometres in Kanaguda village of Malkangiri district after the 108 service failed to reach the area due to bad roads.

All these incidents have come to light at a time when the ambulance system has been privatised and huge money pumped into the sector.

Health and family welfare minister Pratap Jena said: "Zigitza Health Care Limited was chosen to manage the system. In 2017-18, Rs 27.96 crore was earmarked for the service. In 2016-17, Rs 37.96 crore was spent for the services."