Unable to get ambulance, Maharashtra man rides 40 km on bike carrying son's body

In a shocking development a tribal couple rode around 40 kms on a motorcycle with the wife carrying their dead minor sons body to their village officials said here on ThursdayThe chilling incident happened late on Tuesday night when a 6yearold boy Ajay Y Pardhi succumbed to acute pneumonia at the governments subdistrict facility Cottage Hospital Jawhar around 9 pmAfter completing the hospital formalities the distraught parents attempted to engage an ambulance to help transport their sons body back home at the remote Sadakwadi village around 40 kms awayHowever at least three ambulances available there refused to help out and the hospital authorities did not have a hearse van usually deployed for moving bodiesConfirming the development Cottage Hospital CMO Dr Ramdas Marad said that ambulances are generally prohibited from transporting the deadBut I was prepared to help out the family given the late hour and the very cold weather I summoned a private ambulance who demanded a large sum of money which the family could not afford Dr Marad told IANSHe admitted that the 142bed Cottage Hospital has no hearse van and alternative transport was not available despite all effortsWhen the hospital authorities suggested they should wait till morning the couple reportedly refused fearing that their son would be subjected to an autopsyThe medicos assured that since the boy had died of natural causes there was no need for a postmortem but the couple was adamant and insisted on returning despite the numbing chill that nightFinally just before midnight the Pardhi couple Yuvraj Pardhi and his wife carefully wrapped up their deceased sons body in a couple of sheets donned thick blankets themselves and left for homeThey reached their tiny dwelling in the Sadakwadi village home in the wee hours of Wednesday as the 73rd Republic Day dawned all over the countryThe last rites of the boy were performed on Wednesday with the entire tribal hamlet in mourning while the nation erupted in celebrationsAs the incident sparked huge outrage in the district the hospital and district health authorities ordered a probe and recommended the immediate dismissal of the three ambulance drivers hired from a contracting firm in Palghar town said Dr MaradShramjeevi Sanghatana Founder Vivek Pandit said such incidents are not uncommon in remote tribal areas of Palghar Nandurbar and other tribal belts which lack health facilitiesThis is merely one instance which has come in public glare The situation in the farflung forested or hilly areas is very alarming they have no curative facilities doctors gynaecologists nurses ambulances medicines but the government seems to be ignoring it said Pandit a former legislatorA health department official said the government will soon order deployment of a hearse van and an ambulance permanently at the subdistrict hospitalThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever