Even as uproar over Dana Majhi of Kalahandi district carrying the body of his wife on a bamboo is yet to die down, another poor tribal of Malkangiri district in Odisha had to walk six kilometres carrying the body of his six-year-old daughter when the 108 ambulance left them in the midway on Friday.
The father is Mukund Khemudu of Puspali village of Khairaput block.
Meanwhile, Malkangiri Collector K. Sudarshan Chakrabarthy has ordered criminal proceedings against the ambulance driver. An FIR has been filed at Mathili police station. The Chief District Medical Officer has also been directed to enquire into the issue and submit a report.
On Friday afternoon, Mukund was seen by the residents of Nayakguda village under Mathili block while he was walking back holding the body of his deceased child, Barsha. The child had been admitted in Mathili CHC. As her condition deteriorated, she was referred to Malkangiri district headquarter hospital on Thursday night. The child died while she was being transported by 108 ambulance.
On the way she was taken to Pandiripani CHC by the ambulance where the doctor declared her dead. Later the same ambulance, on its way to Mathili, dropped Mukund and the body near Nayakguda between Pandirpani and Mathili. Having no other means of transport, Mukund started walking towards his village along with the corpse. Nayakguda residents spotted him and informed the Mathili Block Development Officer, who arranged another ambulance to transport them to their village Puspali.
Through a release to the media, Odisha State head of 108 and 102 ambulance service Sabyasachi Biswal claimed that as per the protocols governing the Odisha Emergency Medical Ambulance Service, 108 and 102 ambulances are not supposed to transport any person declared dead by a doctor.
When asked, Mr Chakrabarthy said, “The protocol exists, but why did the ambulance carry the body for a distance of 30 km from Pandiriguda CHC and dropped the deceased and her father midway?”
He added that had the ambulance staff refused to carry the body from Pandiriguda itself, Mukund Khemudu could have made some other arrangement to return to his village.
