Chief Minister Raghubar Das has expressed grave anger over the incident reported in the media about Sadar Hospital not providing ambulance to the parents of 8 year old child Suman Singh who died during treatment at Gumla on Saturday. The CM on Sunday went on directing the district administration to submit a report within 24 hours and take strict action against those responsible for it.
Surprisingly, the incident took place when State Health Minister Ramchandra Chand-
ravanshi, along with some top officials of the district administration, was attending a programme at Vikas Bhawan of Gumla. Information suggested that the father of the child had taken his 8 year son to Basia Referral Hospital for treatment as he was suffering from high fever. Doctors later referred his son to Sisai from where he was further referred to Gumla Sadar Hospital for better treatment. Doctors prescribed some medicines which he could bring immediately for want of money as those medicines were not available in the hospital. In the middle of all this his son succumbed to the illness.
Gumla Civil Surgeon however, denied the allegation and said that no demand for ambulance was made by the child’s father Karan Singh. “Though there is no provision for providing ambulance for carrying dead bodies from the hospital, but definitely we consider if such demands are made by a poor or needy person but no such demand was made by the child’s father Karan Singh,” said Civil Surgeon JP Sanga.
After the incident got highlighted by the local media showing deceased’s father carrying dead body of his son as piggyback, Gumla DC Shravan Sai visited the hospital on Sunday and directed the Civil Surgeon to make all medicines available in the hospital and provide ambulance to every patient. Now, a direction has been passed to all medical staffs to act positively and ask attendants whether they need any help, in case a patient dies in the hospital, the Civil Surgeon added. Sanga further said that Suman Singh, suffering from malaria and jaundice, was brought to the hospital unconscious on Saturday at around 1 pm and died immediately within 10 minutes after he was admitted to the hospital. “The child was suffering from cerebral malaria which has minimal chances of survival,” said the Civil Surgeon. The father on the other hand, claimed that he approached the hospital staffs for ambulance but they turned down his request. “I asked for an ambulance but they said that there was no facility of vehicle for dead bodies,” said the father.