TB patient dies at Faridabad Hospital; family uses pushcart to transport body
Inquiry
Gurgaon: In a shocking incident, a 35-year-old woman’s body was taken home on a motorised pushcart by her grieving family after she passed away during tuberculosis treatment at a government hospital in Faridabad, highlighting glaring gaps in institutional support. The incident has prompted an investigation into the matter.
According to the news reports, the heartbreaking journey stretched nearly 10 kilometres from Badshah Khan Civil Hospital to their house in Sarurpur. The cart was driven by her father-in-law, while her husband walked alongside in grief. Her seven-year-old son held on to the sheet covering his mother’s body, trying to prevent it from being blown away by the wind, in a desperate attempt to preserve her dignity.
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The woman had been battling tuberculosis complications for several months. Her husband claimed she was initially treated at Badshah Khan Civil Hospital but was later referred multiple times to Safdarjung Hospital and AIIMS in Delhi as her condition deteriorated. “We ran from one hospital to another. Nearly Rs 4 lakh was spent, but she could not be saved,” he said. By the time she passed away around 3 pm on Wednesday, the family had nothing left.
“Ambulance operators asked for Rs 700 to take my wife’s body home. I didn’t have it,” he added, stating that he later had to borrow money even for her cremation.
In their village, neighbours eventually came together to pool funds for the woman’s last rites.
Speaking to TOI, deputy civil surgeon Dr MP Singh said govt ambulances are not meant for transporting bodies. "There is no provision to carry corpses in health department ambulances. For this, hearse vans or mortuary vans are provided through the Red Cross. This facility is available in Faridabad and can be accessed by making a request through the hospital control room," he said.
Singh said that the civil surgeon had taken cognisance of the incident and added that if the family had been forced to take the body on a cart, the case would be investigated. He stated that action would be taken if any negligence was found, and clarified that private ambulance operators function independently and are not under the health department’s control.
Dr Ram Bhagat, principal medical officer, Badshah Khan Civil Hospital, said that he has also come to know about the incident and has ordered an inquiry into the matter. “We are looking into it to see if any hospital employee was actually negligent in guiding the family or deliberately ignored his request. We will contact the family to ascertain what unfolded at the hospital,” he added, reports Hindustan Times.
