In a heartbreaking expose of Jharkhand’s crumbling healthcare system, a father from West Singhbhum district was forced to carry his deceased newborn’s body home in a cardboard box because no ambulance was available. This shocking incident unfolded in the Karai Kela police station area of Chai Basa, highlighting the dire state of medical services in rural India.
Ram Krishna Hembram, a resident of Bangrasai village, rushed his wife Rita Tiriya to the Chakradharpur sub-divisional hospital when she went into labor. Tragedy struck on Saturday when Rita delivered a stillborn baby. Devastated, the family sought help from hospital authorities to transport the infant’s body back home.
But what followed was a nightmare. Hospital staff provided no assistance—no ambulance, no vehicle, nothing. Left with no choice, Ram Krishna placed his baby’s tiny body in a carton box and carried it in his arms all the way to Bangrasai village. The image of a grieving father clutching a box containing his child’s remains has ignited outrage across the region.
Local villagers are furious, questioning how a public hospital could fail so miserably in basic humanitarian aid. ‘The government boasts of massive healthcare investments, yet a father must transport his dead child like this,’ one resident lamented. This isn’t an isolated case; similar horrors have plagued Jharkhand repeatedly.
Hospital officials countered that the family never requested an ambulance, claiming no formal demand was made. Following public backlash, an internal probe has been launched, with promises of action based on findings. But for Ram Krishna’s family, the damage is irreversible.
This tragedy underscores a systemic failure where promises of ‘108 ambulance services’ and upgraded facilities ring hollow. As Jharkhand grapples with such indignities, urgent reforms are needed to ensure no parent endures this pain again. The state must bridge the gap between policy and reality before more lives are scarred.