As KGH refuses ambulance, couple carry dead infant on two-wheeler; Good Samaritans help en route

VISAKHAPATNAM: In a not-so-bizarre, but grossly inhuman act, a devastated couple carried the body of their two-month-old child on a two-wheeler from the “much-touted” prospective capital city of Andhra Pradesh, Visakhapatnam to Paderu, a town situated deep in the dense forest of Eastern Ghats.

The heartrending incident of denying an ambulance to the cursed parents for carting the body of their child occurred in the biggest hospital of coastal Andhra - the King George Hospital. The couple, hailing from Kumada, a hamlet in Munchingputtu mandal, had admitted their child in KGH as his ailment wasn’t getting cured. However, as ill-luck would have it, the child succumbed to the disease. The hapless parents urged the hospital authorities to give them an ambulance to carry the body of the baby to their village.

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Their repeated pleas were lent a deaf ear. After protracted negotiations too, the rock-solid hearts of the hospital staff did not melt. The shattered parents were told in no uncertain terms that they could not provide the ambulance to a distance of 120 km. The traumatised couple had to embark on the last journey of their deceased child on a Scooty, a small two-wheeler. The tormented mother cuddled up the child in her lap and the father rode the two-wheeler.

Meanwhile, the Paderu Government Hospital staff came to know about the heart-wrenching journey of the depressed parents and arranged a vehicle for them en route. They boarded this vehicle and carried the body to Kumada.

The KGH authorities have come under severe criticism for the dastardly act of refusing to provide a vehicle. Even the ST Cell in the KGH too failed to provide succour to the unfortunate parents.

KGH denies reports of laxity in providing ambulance

Later in the day, the King George Hospital (KGH) issued a rejoinder denying reports that the hospital refused to provide the ambulance for transporting the dead body of the infant. Calling it an unfortunate incident, the hospital, in a press release, said that the infant died at 7:50 am and the body was handed over to the parents by 8:30 am. Subsequently, the Tribal Cell of the hospital was also duly informed of the death by 8:40 am and that an ambulance was also arranged by 9:15 am.

The KGH claimed that the parents of the deceased infant however did not wait until the ambulance was arranged and left the hospital with the body at 8:57 am on their own will and against the hospital's advice. "And yet, the hospital quickly informed the ITDA Project Officer and the DM&HO of Paderu and managed to trace them before the body was shifted from Paderu to their native village of Kumada." the release said.

"There has been no lapse or laxity on the part of the hospital in providing the ambulance and due to lack of awareness, the parents of the deceased infant left the hospital 15 minutes before the arrival of the ambulance. These facts became evident during a preliminary inquiry and a detailed investigation is being conducted into the matter," the KGH clarified.