Jharkhand: Denied ambulance, father carries newborn's body on shoulder

A man was forced to carry the body of his newborn son on his shoulder for five kilometres to perform his last rites, after allegedly being denied an ambulance by a hospital in Jharkhand's Latehar district.

On Tuesday, Reema Devi, wife of Manoj Bhuiya delivered a stillborn baby at Latehar government hospital. When Bhuiya asked the hospital authorities to arrange an ambulance to carry the body to the cremation ground, they expressed their inability, according to the bereaved family.

Later, Bhuiya had to carry the dead body on his shoulder for five kilometres, they said.

"I was asked to leave my wife in the hospital for treatment and to take the dead body for last rites. When I asked for the ambulance, the hospital authorities expressed helplessness," Bhuiya told the media.

"Vechicle to ferry dead bodies is not available in the hospital for last one year. One can avail ambulance facility by dialling 108 but it is not meant for carrying a dead body," said Dr. Raju Kashap of the hospital.

In another incident in Hazaribagh of the state, a father on Monday had to carry his daughter on his shoulders in the hospital for one hour after he was denied a stretcher. Sitaram Yadav's daughter had suffered a snake bite and for the treatment he had gone to Hazaribagh Sadar Hospital where he was allegedly denied a stretcher.

--IANS

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