MP: 21-yr-old dies in father's lap as oxygen runs out in ambulance; probe ordered

Oxygen runs out, MP man dies in ambulance; probe ordered

A 21-year-old dialysis patient died in a government ambulance in Madhya Pradesh's Mandla district after its oxygen supply reportedly ran out during transit, prompting authorities to order an inquiry, officials said Friday.

The victim, Ajit Baraiya of Sunhera Mal village under Bamhani police station, died in his father's arms as the ambulance headed toward Mandla district hospital on July 27, according to his family. A video of the incident began circulating on social media on Friday, bringing the case to wider public attention.

Baraiya had been receiving regular dialysis at the district hospital. Officials said his father called for an ambulance to take him to the Bamhani community health centre after his condition worsened.

The family alleged that Baraiya struggled to breathe during that first leg of the journey but was not given oxygen. Doctors at the community health centre subsequently referred him to the district hospital and placed him on oxygen support, but the supply in the ambulance was exhausted partway through the trip, the family said, and he did not survive the journey.

Baraiya's father, recounting the ordeal to local reporters, said the ambulance took about an hour to arrive after being called, and that the oxygen supply gave out roughly 3 kilometres into the drive to the district hospital, before they could reach it. He said his son would have survived if oxygen had lasted the entire trip, breaking down as he spoke.

The circulating video shows Baraiya on a stretcher inside the ambulance with his father beside him.

Following the video's spread, the district administration ordered a probe into the incident. Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr. D.J. Mohanty said a four-member inquiry committee has been formed after the matter came to the health department's attention, and that the committee has been directed to submit its findings promptly so that action can be taken against those found responsible.