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Sadar hospitals across Jharkhand to now have 4 hearse vans: Health minister Ansari
“We will make four mortuary vehicles available in each of the district sadar hospitals mandatorily. I have ordered to ensure the availability of these mortuary vehicles within a month in all districts so that no bereaved family ever faces an inhuman situation during a crisis. This project will cost about ₹15 crore,” Jharkhand health minister Irfan Ansari said on Sunday.
Jharkhand health minister Irfan Ansari on Sunday announced that all district sadar hospitals would now have four hearse vehicles each, while ordering district deputy commissioners (DCs) to take strong action against people spreading misleading and fake news.
“We will make four mortuary vehicles available in each of the district sadar hospitals mandatorily. I have ordered to ensure the availability of these mortuary vehicles within a month in all districts so that no bereaved family ever faces an inhuman situation during a crisis. This project will cost about ₹15 crore,” the minister said on Sunday.
Ansari’s announcement comes a day after a father was forced to carry his four-month-old dead son in a plastic bag for 70 km from Chaibasa Sadar Hospital (CSH) to his home in Bara Baljori village of West Singhbhum district, due to the alleged absence of a 108 ambulance or hearse vehicle. The incident triggered widespread outrage across the state.
A district-level inquiry team comprising Chaibasa Sadar sub-divisional officer (SDO) Sandip Anurag Topno and circle officer (CO) Upendra Kumar gave a clean chit to the Chaibasa Sadar Hospital (CSH) authorities and doctors in its probe report submitted to West Singhbhum DC Chandan Kumar late Saturday night. The team also recommended immediate repair of one of the two mortuary vehicles.
Referring to the probe report, Ansari said it had vindicated that facts were distorted to tarnish the image of the state health department.
“As per the probe report, the child concerned was four months old, but a section of the media reported him as four years old. The family of the child took away his body on their own, and there were two mortuary vehicles—one of which was dysfunctional, and the other was about to break down. The 108 ambulance service is meant for carrying patients, while mortuary vehicles are run under a separate system. I appeal to the media to flash news after proper verification. I have directed the DCs to take strong action against those spreading misleading and fake news. The state government is firmly standing by the doctors and health staff,” said Ansari.
Meanwhile, Dimba Chatomba, the father of the four-month-old child, said that he did not have money or a mobile phone and bought a plastic bag for ₹20 to hide the dead body of his son from other passengers on the bus.
“I had only ₹100 for bus fare. I bought a plastic bag for ₹20 and put my son’s dead body in it so that no passenger on the bus could see it. I requested an ambulance from the CSH management, but they told me that it had gone to Manoharpur and that I should wait or take my son by bus or train. I waited there for five to six hours, but the ambulance did not come. I begged and collected about ₹400 from people present in the hospital and left,” Dimna told the media.
Meanwhile, the West Singhbhum unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a sit-in demonstration led by former Singhbhum MP Geeta Koda outside the CSH on Sunday.
“The state government talks about tribal interests, but the fact on the ground is that tribals are not able to accord honour to their deceased near and dear ones, let alone proper treatment. The state health department stands exposed. As per a report of the DTO (district transport office), there are 40 ambulances and two hearse vehicles in the district. However, the CSH is saying they have 20 ambulances and one functional hearse vehicle. Resources are available on paper, but why aren’t people getting their benefits? Funds were allocated to the district recently, yet the situation is so bad, hinting at corruption and connivance,” Koda said.
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