Lucknow: In a replay of incidents that reflect hospital apathy, a woman in Meerut district was forced to run from one hospital to another, pleading with doctors to give her a vehicle so that she could take her daughter’s body home.
The woman, Imrana, spent a night outside the emergency wing of the district hospital with the daughter’s body. According to reports, two-and-a-half-year-old Gulnad, a resident of Baghpat district, was suffering from viral infection and was undergoing treatment at government P.L. Sharma Hospital in Meerut.
Her condition deteriorated on Thursday and she was referred to the Lala Lajpat Rai Medical College Hospital where doctors declared her brought dead. For two hours, alleged Imrana, she pleaded with the hospital ambulance driver to take the body to her village Gauripur, but he refused, saying he is not allowed to travel to other districts.
Imrana took the body to the district hospital in a private ambulance after paying Rs 200, but there also she was denied ambulance service. Private ambulances demanded Rs 2,500 to take her to her village.
She spent the entire Friday night outside the emergency ward with her daughter’s body and the following morning, some people present there collected money and hired a private ambulance to take the body to her village. Meeut district magistrate Jagatraj Tripathi on Sunday feigned ignorance about the incident but said he would now order an investigation into the matter.
“Strict action will be taken if anyone is found guilty. I am asking the chief medical officer to make sure that such incidents do not take place”, he said. The incident comes days after a man ran from pillar to post in Kanpur to get treatment for his son who ultimately died on his shoulders.
