Son carries mother's body on trolley rickshaw as ambulance not available

Another sad incident has came to light after the Dana Majhi incident of Odisha, when the son of tribal woman named Pana Tirika had to carry her body in a trolley-rickshaw to their village Ankula, located four Kilometers away from Jajpur on Saturday after she died at Jajpur District Hospital.

Pana Tirika, a 65-year-old woman was admitted to the Jajpur District Hospital few days back after she complained of a stomach pain. As her condition turned critical, doctors referred her to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, but she died before that.

As per reports, no ambulance was available at the Jajpur District Hospital to take the women's body due to Vishwakarma puja and some vehicle available near the hospital reportedly demanded an exorbitant amount of money from the family to carry the body.

Finding no other way, the dead woman's son, Guna Tirika, got a trolley rickshaw on which he placed her body and cycled all the way to his village located away from Jajpur.

"No transport facility was available, private services asked Rs 12000 so had no option but take the body in a trolley-rickshaw to the village," said a relative of dead woman.

The Assistant Divisional Medical Officer (ADMO) of Jajpur, Shibashis Maharana said that no one had asked for a transport facility.

The state government launched a free hearse van service called Mahaprayana last months to provide vehicles to the poor to carry the dead bodies of their dear ones free of cost. Yet, we have another example of medical neglect.