chennai the state health department has ordered inquiry into why an ambulance wasnt sent for a patient who made a distress call to 108 helpline on sunday the deceased is ganesh kumar a 19yearold college student who was playing cricket with friends he had stepped aside to get water and was alone when he experienced uneasiness and called for an ambulance he died waiting for helppolice said ganesh was playing cricket with friends at pachiyappan ground in kancheepuram he developed uneasiness when he stepped aside to fetch water and called 108 he explained the situation and requested an ambulance but the call centre employee assumed it to be a prank call and refused to dispatch an ambulance a police officer privy to the case details said he later died due of suffocationafter his funeral his family members checked his mobile and found the recording of his call to 108 requesting an ambulance be sent to rescue him the audio was shared on social media with his father saying ganesh died due to the negligence of the 108 call centre staffsources said the call centre employee who attended his distress call insisted that he hand over the phone to someone nearby as he suspected it to be a prank call nearly 60 of the calls to 108 are not for emergencies but that was no excuse there is no reason why ambulance should be denied to anyone the protocol is to take the risk and still send an ambulance said state health secretary beela rajesh a detailed inquiry has been ordered the staff is absconding now he will appear before a committee she said the department is also working to strengthen training of staff besides developing protocols that can prevent ineffective calls