BHOPAL: A probe has been ordered by the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government into the alleged denial of hearse van to a daily wager at Morena district hospital, which resulted in his eight-year-old son waiting on the roadside with his 2-year-old toddler brother's body on the lap.
Painful visuals of the alleged incident which happened on Saturday jolted the nation on Sunday.
"The situation wasn't like what has been projected, when the man came from the village, his son's condition was critical. After the doctors declared the toddler dead at Morena district hospital, he went to a relative's house to leave the child. But still, the state government has taken the entire matter seriously and directed the CEO of Morena District Panchayat to probe it. The report is likely by the evening. Also, show cause notice has been served to Morena district hospital's civil surgeon," MP home minister and state government spokesperson Narottam Mishra claimed in Bhopal on Monday.
He further informed that immediate financial assistance of Rs 10,000 has been provided to the bereaved family from the Red Cross, while money has also been released for the family under the state government's Sambal scheme. More financial assistance will be given under another crisis scheme.
Meanwhile, the opposition Congress's student wing National Students Union of India (NSUI) has announced to take care of the school education of the eight-year-old boy Gulshan Jatav.
The daily wager Poojaram Jatav, a native of Badfara village under Ambah block of Morena, along with Gulshan, had rushed to Ambah government hospital on Saturday, with toddler Raja in serious condition due to anaemia-related complications and swelling in the abdomen caused by accumulation of fluid in the stomach.
Staff at the Ambah Hospital had referred the child to Morena district hospital, owing to the severity of the case. But the toddler couldn't be saved and was declared dead by doctors at the hospital later.
Subsequently, Poojaram had requested a hearse van to take his son's body home, but the on-duty staff at the government hospital had denied a vehicle, citing its unavailability. Instead, they reportedly asked Poojaram to hire a vehicle on his own from outside the hospital.
Not having enough money for paying ambulances, whose operators demanded Rs 1500 to Rs 2000, Poojaram reportedly left in search of a vehicle, leaving son Gulshan holding the body of his brother on his lap on the roadside.
Subsequently, Gulshan had to wait on the roadside, for his father to return for around an hour and 45 minutes. While Gulshan sat on the roadside holding his brother's body on his lap, onlookers instead of helping him, kept on clicking pictures and shooting videos with cell phones.
Coming to know about the painful episode, the Morena Kotwali in-charge Yogendra Singh Jadaun, rushed to the spot and arranged an ambulance for the father-son duo to return with the toddler's body to their village around 30 km away.
Meanwhile, the chief medical and health officer (CMHO) of Morena district, Dr Rakesh Sharma was quoted in the media, as saying that there is no such protocol that mandates the transportation of bodies by the hospital. However, if requested the administration provides help via the Rogi Kalyan Samiti. The child died on way to the hospital and an ambulance was later provided after the hospital administration came to know about the issue, Dr Sharma reportedly said.