Tribal family treks 10 km with girl's dead body in Jharkhand after hospital denies ambulance

Sahibganj (Jharkhand), July 23 (IANS) In a shocking incident, a tribal family in Jharkhand's Sahibganj district was forced to carry the body of a teenage girl on a cot for over 10 km after they were denied an ambulance by the hospital.

The deceased, Badrin Pahadin, belonged to the vulnerable 'Pahariya Janjati' community. She had been brought to the Sadar Hospital in Sahibganj on Monday in a critical condition. With no road connectivity to their remote village in Lodoni Pahad under Mandro block, her family carried her on a cot for 10 km to seek treatment. Tragically, she died during treatment at the hospital.

After her death, the hospital refused to provide an ambulance to take her body back home. With no other option, the grieving family once again lifted the body on the same cot and walked the 10 km stretch back to their village.

A video of the incident surfaced on social media on Wednesday, sparking outrage across the state.

Reacting sharply, Leader of Opposition and state BJP President Babulal Marandi launched a scathing attack on the Jharkhand government and Health Minister Irfan Ansari.

Calling Ansari a "burden on the government and the public", Marandi alleged that the minister had handed over ambulance operations to his close associates, and even accused his minor son of meddling in the affairs of government hospitals.

“This is not just negligence, it's a grave injustice to the people of the state,” he said.

Marandi demanded immediate intervention by Chief Minister Hemant Soren and a thorough review of the Health Department and ambulance services.

"This is not the first time such a horrifying image has come out of Jharkhand. Pictures of patients and bodies being transported on cots, bicycles, and carts have repeatedly exposed the failure of the system," he added.

Urging the government to go beyond rhetoric, Marandi called for strict measures to ensure that citizens no longer have to go door to door for basic medical assistance.

“Healthcare is a fundamental right. Denying people such a basic service is inhumane,” he said.

--IANS

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