Viral video of boy pushed on stretcher between Indore Hospitals sparks outrage; staff face action
Viral Video Sparks Action at Indore MY Hospital After Parents Seen Transporting Child on Stretcher
Indore: In a shocking incident, an 11-year-old boy was pushed on a stretcher by his parents under the intense afternoon heat between Maharaja Yeshwantrao (MY) Hospital and the Super Speciality Hospital in Indore. A video of the incident has gone viral, triggering widespread outrage and raising serious questions about alleged lapses in patient care at Madhya Pradesh’s largest government-run hospital.
According to media reports, following public outrage over the viral video, hospital authorities initiated action against multiple staff members. The attending doctor was given a seven-day salary cut, three nurses were docked a day’s pay each, and the security in charge was suspended. Show-cause notices were also issued to senior officials, including the hospital superintendent and a neurosurgeon, while a Rs 1 lakh penalty was imposed on the outsourced housekeeping and security agency.
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The incident came to light after a video recorded on June 6 showed the boy’s parents pushing him on a stretcher for nearly a kilometre under harsh summer conditions between the two hospitals. The footage quickly went viral on social media, prompting criticism over alleged negligence and inadequate patient transport arrangements within the hospital premises.
However, hospital authorities have disputed suggestions that the child was abandoned without care or transport. Superintendent Dr Ashok Yadav said the child had been under treatment for a prolonged illness involving neurological complications and had already undergone a neuro-intervention procedure. “The family was anxious about the child’s condition and wanted multiple medical opinions. They were repeatedly approaching different doctors and departments. There was a need only for documentation and paperwork between the facilities, but instead they brought the child along,” Yadav said, reports The Indian Express.
Dr Yadav further said that the stretcher used in the journey was provided by hospital staff, and its use for transport was a procedural mistake. He maintained that shifting the patient physically was not medically necessary at that stage and suggested that confusion regarding referrals and documentation contributed to the incident.
The family, however, said they were forced to move the child themselves after facing delays and unclear guidance between departments. They alleged that despite being advised to seek further evaluation at the Super Speciality Hospital, they did not receive timely assistance for safe transfer.
According to the family, the boy had been undergoing treatment for around 15 days. He was admitted to MY Hospital and was referred to the Super Speciality Hospital because of a spinal issue. But when the family reached there, they were allegedly told that the child did not need admission and that only the file and documents had to be examined. The family then had to bring him back to MY Hospital again on the stretcher, on their own, they said, reports the Indian Express.
Family members also said the boy suffered greatly in the heat, with his mother repeatedly using a wet cloth to reduce his discomfort during the journey.
The incident adds to a series of controversies at MY Hospital. Earlier this year, a one-and-a-half-month-old infant allegedly lost a thumb after a medical procedure gone wrong, triggering disciplinary action and criticism.
