KATIHAR, April 25 -- Ever heard of an ambulance carrying 17 people, including seven patients? In Bihar's Katihar, an ambulance, ideally meant to carry a single critical patient to ensure adequate space for medical personnel to provide continuous care and monitoring, was found carrying as many as 17 people, including seven patients and 10 attendants. While district health officials have remained tight-lipped on the issue, the incident has raised serious concerns about the state of health services in the region. According to the report, seven children under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) were being transported from the Primary Health Centre (PHC), Azamnagar-about 35 km from the district headquarters-to the district hospital for medical examination and treatment. "Besides the seven ailing children, there were ten attendants in the ambulance," one of the attendants told media persons after reaching Katihar district hospital on Friday. "Ideally, one patient and two attendants are allowed to travel in an ambulance," a doctor posted at the district hospital said, requesting anonymity. The ambulance driver said, "The medical officer of Azamnagar PHC, Dr Shakeel Ahmad, directed me to take all seven children to the district hospital, and later their attendants forcibly boarded the vehicle." Dr Shakeel Ahmad said, "These children are differently abled and had to undergo medical examinations," adding that they were sent in a single ambulance on the directive of district RBSK coordinator Prashant Jha. Civil Surgeon Jitendra Kumar Singh and district RBSK coordinator Prashant Jha could not be contacted for their comments despite repeated attempts. RBSK is a programme for early identification of selected health conditions and linking them for medical and surgical management, thereby ensuring comprehensive care for children in the community....