A senior official said an investigation has been ordered into the matter.
A family in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh had to carry the dead body of a four-year-old girl on their shoulders as authorities allegedly did not provide a hearse to them to return to their village.
The child's family said they first took her to Buxwaha Health Centre on Monday for treatment where her condition deteriorated. The family then rushed her to the district hospital in adjoining Damoh on Tuesday, but she died the same day.
The girl's grandfather Mansukh Ahirwar alleged that they asked the hospital staff for an ambulance to carry her dead body home, but they did not get a positive response from them.
"We then wrapped her body in a blanket and boarded a bus to Buxwaha as we did not have money to arrange a private vehicle," he said.
After reaching Buxwaha, the girl's father Laxman Ahirwar said they asked the Nagar Panchayat to provide a vehicle so that they could take the body to Paudi village, but they refused.
Damoh civil surgeon Dr Mamta Timori, however, denied the claim. "Nobody came to me, we do have hearse van. We can also arrange it from Red Cross or any other NGO," Ms Timori said.
In yet another case reflecting the alleged callous attitude of authorities, a man in Sagar district had to carry the dead body of his brother on a handcart from the Gadhakota Community Health Center.
"I asked for a hearse van but it was not arranged, so, we carried his dead body on a handcart as we do not have the money to arrange for a private vehicle," alleged Bhagwan Das.
Responding to the claim, Block Medical Officer Dr Suyash Singhai said "the patient was brought dead to the hospital. The duty doctor had advised the family to do a post-mortem but they refused and took the dead body."
In Bhagwanpura Khargone district, a pregnant woman could not even reach the hospital and died on the way. Her family members alleged that they made several attempts to arrange a government-run ambulance from the district, but it could not be managed.
A senior official said an investigation has been ordered into the matter.