No Money For Ambulance To Take Child's Body Home, Locals Help In Rajasthan

A distraught family sitting on the steps of a government hospital in Rajasthan's Tonk crying inconsolably with the dead body of their two-year-old child was helped by locals and the hospital staff who contributed money to pay for an ambulance to take them back to their village in Madhya Pradesh. 

Jugraj Sahariya said he had left his village Dar in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri to visit the shrine of Baba Ram Devra in Jaisalmer but on the way his daughter Riya fell ill in Uniara town. Doctors from the government hospital in Uniara referred them to the larger district hospital - Sadaat - in Tonk where the child died during treatment. Doctors said she was suffering from pneumonia and had been further referred to Jaipur for treatment.

Alone and friendless in a new city, the couple asked for a government ambulance but were told by hospital authorities that there is no provision for an ambulance to take the dead body to another state. The family, poor tribals from Madhya Pradesh, had no money and soon broke down when they realised there was no help forthcoming. 

Overcome by grief, they were found by people sitting on the steps of the hospital, crying, even as Jugraj's wife clutched the body of the child to her chest. 

In between sobs, Jugraj said, "We want to go home. Please help us organise an ambulance, we have no money. Please. That's why I am requesting you send us to our village."

Moved by his plight and his tears, soon a crowd gathered around the couple. 

Some even raised slogans against the hospital administration but were told by hospital authorities that an ambulance cannot be sent across the border of Rajasthan for a body.

"The government has its limitations. To organise an ambulance for a dead body that too to go to Madhya Pradesh would have required special permission and led to delays, but we all stepped forward to help as it was a question of humanity," said Dr Hanuman Prasad Bairwa, the Principal Medical Officer of Sadaat Hospital. 

People at the hospital - patients and hospital staff - came forward, handing over money to Jugraj.

Dr Bairwa also contributed from his own pocket. 

Speaking to NDTV on the phone, he said, "These were pilgrims going to Ram Devra on foot and they had to abandoned their pilgrimage as their daughter died. We got calls from locals and journalists saying we should help them organise an ambulance so we have all contributed money from our pockets and provided an ambulance for them. When it is a question of humanity then many people, including hospital staff, came forward to help. I got a call from SDM Hukam Chand Rolania that we must go beyond the call of duty and the limitations of government and help this family. So we organised a private ambulance to take them to their village, which is 350 kilometres away in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri. There were also floods and swollen rivers on the way, so we also gave extra money to them for their food and travel. The ambulance was paid for by private funds collected from people. I think we managed to give him Rs 5-6,000."

The family has reached their village safely.