Odisha family carries kin’s body on stretcher for 8 km

NUAPADA:  In a shocking incident, a 69-year-old woman’s body was carried on a stretcher by family members for eight kilometres from Sinapali community health centre (CHC) to their village in absence of a hearse van. The incident that occurred on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, brought back the dark memories of Dana Majhi episode of Kalahandi district.

According to reports, Saraswati Sha, a resident of Gadrapali village under Nilji gram panchayat was admitted to Sinapali CHC on Monday evening after severe fluctuation of blood pressure and blood sugar levels. However, she died while undergoing treatment at around 8 pm. 

Since most of the hospital staff was not present at that time, the family members requested the doctors for a hearse van to carry her body back to their village. Though they were informed that a hearse service has been arranged, when no van came after more than four hours, the Sha family decided to take the body on a stretcher with wheels around midnight.  

Ganashyam Sha, brother-in-law of the deceased, said, the hospital authorities informed that though they did not have any van, they had called for one. “We waited for the van to arrive but we got a call from home that another member of her family was also ill. So we decided to drag her on the stretcher to the village which is 8 km from here,” he said.

On the other hand, in-charge of the CHC Monali Priyadarshini said hearse van is available only at Khariar sub-division and Nuapada district hospital. “We had called for a private hearse van but by the time it reached, they had already taken the body.” 

The incident came to light after the family was sighted taking the body through the Biju Expressway late in the night. The incident has put health services in remote pockets of the state under radar, once again.