More than 50 residents of Kallukuttai in Taramani protested on M.G.R. Salai in Perungudi on Tuesday evening, demanding the provision of basic healthcare facilities in their locality.
The protest, which began at 7 p.m. and lasted an hour, was triggered by the death of a one-year-old girl, Ashwini earlier in the day.
The child had been sick and her family had rushed her to a private hospital around 9 a.m., and from there to the Children’s Hospital, Egmore.
“Since the 108 ambulances do not come to our locality, the family took Ashwini in an autorickshaw. They reached Children’s Hospital only at noon. She died soon after,” claimed A. Hanifa, a member of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) who participated in the protest.
Some of the protestors said the girl’s life could have been saved had there been a primary health centre in the locality.
“There are hundreds of families living in Kallukuttai, but there are no medical facilities here. Ashwini could have been saved had she been provided with medical treatment on time,” said A. Kumar, another protester.
