Dinabandhu Khemudu's daughter died of malaria and was allegedly denied transport for the body.
A string of news reports in recent weeks have thrown an unflattering spotlight on the state of medical facilities in Odisha. In Kolahandi, a man called Dana Majhi carried the body of his 42-year-old wife on his shoulder for 10 km before he got an ambulance. In a second incident in Balasore, the body of a woman was broken at the hip so that it could be stuffed into bamboo box because there was no ambulance. In another incident in Raigada, a pregnant lady delivered a baby boy in an autorickshaw, who died immediately after his birth.
The most worrying of all however is that these incidents do not seem to be outliers. Last week, in the state's Malkangiri, 32-year-old Dinabandhu Khemudu, had to carry the dead body of his 4-year-old daughter Barsha 6 km for as the ambulance transporting them allegedly left them midway. Barsha had died of Malaria.
But even in his grief, he has just one demand. "The village needs a medical facility. Because of lack of medical facility, we have suffered a huge loss today. I request the government to work on bringing a medical facility here," he said.
His wife Basanti, said, "People like us fall victim to such things. Whenever you call for an ambulance in this village, they always make an excuse and say that they can't come."
According to a former Odisha lawmaker Pradeep Majhi, the incidents expose the dark spots of the state's healthcare systems. He claims Odisha's remote areas with tribal habitation are treated as punishment postings for doctors and officials.
"Kolahandi, Nabrangpur, Raigada and Malkangiri are all punishment areas; areas where government officers who either aren't good enough or have criminal records are transferred," the tribal leader said.
Medical officers in the district however shift the blame on to the ambulance driver in the case of the Khemudus.
"The Ayush doctor and pharmacist said the patient is already dead, medical procedures are to be done. But instead of staying, the 108 ambulance took the body to the Nayakguda bridge," Dr Samya Sambit Behra, the medical officer of Community Health Centre in Pandripani said.
Deepak Kumar Naik, a medical officer in Mathili town, said, "108 has a protocol that it cannot take the dead. The patient's family is requesting them to drop them off, so he took them halfway and dropped. That's not right as per protocol and even if he did do that he should have contacted a higher official first."