RAIPUR: In a shocking incident, a poor man faced an extremely distressful situation when first he lost his 7-year-old daughter allegedly owing to negligence at community health centre (CHC) and later had to walk around 10 km carrying her on the shoulder to reach home at Amdala village of Lakhanpur block in Sarguja, north Chhattisgarh.
The girl Surekha was admitted in Lakhanpur CHC following the complaint of high fever and stomach ache on Friday.
“My daughter was suffering from high fever for the last couple of days. She was admitted to CHC and the doctor assured me she will recover. When the nurse came to give my daughter an injection, I told her she had not eaten anything and asked for milk. But my words went unheeded."
"After the injection, the condition of my daughter further deteriorated with blood beginning to ooze from her nose. She soon died”, said Nageshwar Das the father who further added that he requested a hearse (vehicle carrying the coffin at a funeral) but was told no such vehicle was not available.
Left with no option, he decided to carry the body on his shoulder back home.
“When the ailing Surekha was brought to the CHC her condition was serious. Her oxygen saturation level was very low, just around 60. She was treated but couldn't be saved. There is no ventilator in the hospital”, said Prem Singh Marco, Lakhanpur block medical officer who was removed following the incident.
The state health minister T S Singhdeo has ordered a probe into the incident. “The health officials at Lakhanpur should have comforted the father and asked him to wait for hearse instead of letting him go”, the minister said.