A day after the video of a man carrying his deceased wife’s body went viral, the district administration ordered an inquiry into the incident. But this is not the first time that denial of healthcare has cost the tribals of Odisha. So far in August, three instances have come forth wherein, the poor response of ambulance services caused one pregnant woman to deliver on the road in Koraput, and another woman in labour died after calls to the helpline went unanswered.
Lack of adequate healthcare facilities in the tribal districts of Odisha became national news after a video of Danu Majhi of Melghara village (Bhawanipatna) carrying his wife Agang Majhi's dead body for 10 kms, went viral.
Agang was admitted to the Bhawanipatna District Headquarters Hospital two days ago as she was suffering from tuberculosis. She died late on Tuesday. Majhi’s village is about 60 km from Bhawanipatna DHH, but he was reportedly denied an ambulance to take the body to his house.
Earlier this month, Situmai Sawnta of Gajiaguda village of Tunkhal panchayat (Koraput), was forced to deliver on the road on August 10. Repeated calls by her family to the 102 and 108 ambulance helplines went unawnswered.
For Situmai, the nearest Dasmanthpur Community Health Centre (CHC), was about seven km away, which she was forced to cover by foot but was unable to because of her labour pain. She gave birth on the muddy road, surrounded by female relatives and villagers, with an umbrella providing sole cover. Read more.
In another heart wrenching incident, on August 11, the pregnant Salbeng Dule, a resident of Koikonda village (Malkangiri), went into labour. In her case, the nearest health centre, MV-79 Hospital, was 20 km away. After repeated calls to the ambulance service went unanswered and cost the family precious time, they arranged a jeep to take Salbeng to the health centre.
But on reaching the Hospital, the doctors there reportedly referred her to the Malkangiri DHH, which was another 80 km away. Salbeng couldn't make it to the district hospital and died on the way at NV-7 village. Read more.
And yet it was only when the latest incident of Majhi carrying his dead wife's body for 10 km became national news that the government of Odisha seems to have woken up to the problem. Kalahandi collector D Brunda, ordered the sub-collector to conduct an inquiry into the incident and assured that in case of negligence, the officers would be brought to task.
(Video credits: ANI)