Bhawanipatna: In a replay of Dana Majhi, family members of a deceased carried the body for 5 kilometres from Bhawanipatna district headquarters hospital (DHH) to their village after the hospital allegedly denied a hearse van.
According to reports, Kuni Nayak of Barapali village under Lanjigarh block of the district was admitted to the DHH Wednesday after she complained of fever. She died while undergoing treatment Wednesday night.
Subsequently, the family requested the authorities to provide them a hearse to take the body to their village. However, Nayak’s family members alleged that despite a prolonged wait they did not get the hearse.
With no alternative, the family members carried Kuni’s body on their shoulders and walked towards the village. After DHH authorities came to know about the incident, they immediately rushed an ambulance. But, as Nayak’s family members had already covered a distance of 4 kilometres, they refused to avail the service. Meanwhile, hospital authorities are yet to comment on the incident.
It may be noted that like all state-run health institutions, the DHH has been brought under ‘Mo Sarkar’ and secretary to Chief Minister’s 5Ts department, VK Pandian had visited the hospital in October to review the healthcare system. The incident has raised doubts on the implementation of the much-hyped initiative in the hospital.
PNN