Thoothukudi, Aug 10 (IANS) The demand for a dedicated sea ambulance service is gaining momentum in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi district, with the fishing community urging the authorities to establish an emergency medical response system to save fishermen facing life-threatening situations on the high seas.
Fishermen say valuable time is often lost when a crew member suffers a serious illness or meets with an accident at sea, as fishing vessels have to travel several hours to reach the shore before the patient can be taken to a hospital. A sea ambulance equipped with emergency medical facilities could significantly reduce such delays.
Thoothukudi district has a 163.5-km coastline stretching from Vembar in the north to Manappad in the south along the Gulf of Mannar. The district has 21 fishing hamlets actively involved in marine fishing.
According to officials, more than 4,500 motorised country craft boats, 350 mechanised gill-net fishing vessels and around 200 mechanised bottom trawlers operate from the district. Nearly 10,000 fishermen venture into the sea every day for their livelihood. Around 500 conch divers are also involved in collecting dead conches and chanks from the seabed.
Country boat fishermen generally operate within territorial waters extending up to 12 nautical miles, while mechanised vessels travel farther into the high seas, with journeys lasting more than 10 hours. Gill-net fishing vessels often remain at sea for several days.
The absence of immediate medical assistance becomes particularly critical when fishermen suffer heart ailments, breathing difficulties or other serious health emergencies.
Fishing crews are currently forced to abandon operations and return to shore, sometimes travelling for several hours before reaching medical facilities. Such delays can cause a patient’s condition to deteriorate and may prove fatal.
Similar challenges arise when fishermen drown or go missing. Nearby fishing vessels are generally mobilised for search operations, while fishermen’s associations sometimes bear the expenses involved in prolonged searches.
Fishing communities also traditionally suspend fishing operations and return to shore when a fisherman dies at sea. Fishermen believe deploying properly equipped sea ambulances with trained medical personnel at strategic points along the Thoothukudi coast would provide a crucial emergency response mechanism.
The service could offer immediate medical care, assist in evacuating critically ill or injured fishermen and reduce the time required to transport patients from the high seas to hospitals on the mainland.
–IANS
aal/dpb
