A 35-year-old woman battling tuberculosis died at the Badsha Khan Civil Hospital in Haryana’s Faridabad and her family said they were forced to carry her body home in a motorized pushcart for about 12 km as the hospital staff refused any transport assistance.
Anuradha Devi (35) died on Wednesday at the Civil Hospital after battling tuberculosis for a month. (Representative picture)A video has surfaced online, showing a man carrying a woman’s body in a motorized pushcart. Her son is seen covering his mother’s face with a cloth.
Following this, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Badshah Khan (BK) Civil Hospital ordered an inquiry to identify any operational lapses in the hospital’s emergency and trauma departments, the official said.
Anuradha Devi (35) died on Wednesday at the Civil Hospital after battling tuberculosis for a month. Her husband Jhunjhun said he exhausted his savings for her treatment at multiple hospitals, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi.
After his wife died, he asked civil hospital staff to arrange a hearse or an ambulance to take her body to their residence in Sarurpur village in Faridabad, but the hospital staff refused to provide any such facility, Jhunjhun claimed.
“With no money left, the hospital ambulance staff asked me to arrange my own transport, and private operators quoted ₹500 from ₹700, which I could not pay. I was forced to ask my family members to arrange a pushcart to transport my wife’s body,” he said.
The journey stretched to 10-12 km, with Jhunjhun walking with his wife and their son on a sheet covering his mother’s body.
The family had to borrow money from neighbors to perform the last rites of the woman.
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Hospital officials, however, said government ambulances are not meant to transport bodies, and horse vans are available through the Red Cross but require a formal request.
Faridabad Red Cross Secretary Vijender Sairat said ambulance services have been arranged within the hospital complex.
“When the control room informs them of a death, they provide a hearing to help the victim’s family. The service is completely free. In this case, our department did not receive any calls,” he said.
BK Civil Hospital Civil Surgeon Dr Jayant Ahuja said a probe into the incident has been ordered, and action may be taken if staff negligence is found.
“A high-level committee of senior doctors of the hospital under Principal Medical Officer (PMO) Dr Ram Bhagat has been constituted to look into the allegations. The committee has asked to submit the inquiry report as soon as possible. I will comment on the matter only after receiving the inquiry report”, said Dr Ahuja.
