Chief Minister Raghubar Das ordered suspension of Gumla Sadar Hospital Manager on Monday after a spine-chilling picture of a father, who was allegedly kept away of timely treatment to his son and then denied availability of any mortuary ambulance, carrying dead body of his kid tied on his back returning to home came to light from there on Sunday.
Health Minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi, too, called the incident extremely disturbing for the State which had been otherwise doing so many things for betterment of healthcare sector and assured of strict action on anyone and everyone found insensitive up to the extent of shaming mankind. He also expressed displeasure over government doctors in rural areas not taking their job seriously.
However, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Sudhir Tripathi came up with other side of the story which prima facie raised questions on the father himself who, according to him, couldn’t approach the right authorities despite availability of more than one ambulance in Hospital on the day.
At the same time, Jharkhand State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (JSCPCR) has also taken cognizance of the matter with Member Manoj Kumar writing to the Gumla Deputy Commissioner on Monday of conducting an enquiry, taking action against those found guilty and providing details of action taken to the Commission within three days.
JSCPCR said in its letter that the incident was extremely inhumane, as the eight-year old kid not only lost his life due to ignorance of doctors, but his father too was not made any ambulance available to carry the dead body back to home. “An incident like this is assassination of humanity and JSCPCR has taken the issue with utmost seriousness. It appears that the incident was a result of utter negligence and carelessness which has shamed civil society,” said the Commission in its stern letter to Gumla DC.
“I can only say that enquiry has been ordered, Hospital Manager has been suspended and we will not spare anyone found inhumane in the case. It is disturbing for us equally, especially when we have been trying our best for last two years and half to upgrade the healthcare system in the state which had collapsed during previous years,” said Chandravanshi on the sidelines of inauguration of a health centre in Kanke on Monday.
Notably, one Karan Singh of Kedli village under Basia block of Gumla had brought his eight-year son Suman Singh on Saturday to Gumla Sadar Hospital for treatment of Malaria, where he was detected with jaundice too. As medicine prescribed to him was not available in hospital, he went outside to get it and returned to hospital only to find his son dead meanwhile. Then he approached for an ambulance to take dead body back home where he was allegedly demanded Rs 2,500 which he couldn’t afford in his poverty and decided to carry dead body tied on his back.
“The incident is extremely disturbing and we have not been sitting here for such incidents to take place at all. But I must tell that the incident was also a result of lack of knowledge and little effort to get it from father’s side. As far as availability of ambulance is concerned, three ambulances were available there on the day and if someone asked for money, he must have come to the authorities which he didn’t. He perhaps asked about ambulance from one para-medical staff who couldn’t give him right advice or directed him to right authorities. Then, he came to the hospital at a time when situation of patient had turned almost unrecoverable,” said Tripathi.
He added that the (Health) Minister was there in Hospital itself on the day and even staff of hospital came to know about this incident from the picture that came into light, only. He, however said that the government would start training sessions for para-medical and other staff in any of the health centre in State so that they turn more responsible and sensible, which was certainly lacking somewhere at present.