Dehradun: A shocking incident has come to light from Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, where due to lack of arrangement for a private ambulance, a woman tied her brother’s body on the roof of a taxi and took it to a village in Pithoragarh district, 195 kilometers away. The woman did not have enough money to arrange for an ambulance. Taking cognizance of the incident, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had ordered an investigation into the matter and directed the officials to take strict action against the culprits. According to the police, Shivani (22), a resident of a village in Berinag, lived with her younger brother Abhishek (20).
On Friday, Abhishek came early from work and complained of headache. He was later found unconscious near a railway track and was taken to Sushila Tiwari Government Medical College, Haldwani for treatment, where doctors declared him brought dead. On Saturday, after conducting the post-mortem, the police handed over the body to Shivani.
She reportedly talked to several ambulance drivers standing outside the hospital mortuary to take her brother’s body home, but they asked for Rs 10,000 – 12,000 as fare. Unable to arrange fare, he called a taxi driver from his village and was forced to travel 195 kilometers with the body tied to the roof of the vehicle.
When asked about the incident, Dr. Arun Joshi, Principal of Sushila Tiwari Government Medical College, said that the incident happened outside the hospital, due to which it did not come to his notice. He said, “If this had happened inside the hospital or I had been asked for help, I would have helped.” Relatives of the patient standing outside the hospital said that no one monitors the private ambulances and they charge arbitrary fare to transport the patients. A government spokesperson said that CM Dhami has asked State Health Secretary Dr R Rajesh Kumar to conduct a detailed investigation into the matter and take strict action against the culprits.
Tags: Uttarakhand news
FIRST PUBLISHED : December 9, 2024, 07:22 IST
