No ambulance shocker! Couple forced to carry dead bodies of sons for 15 kms | Watch

Gadchiroli (Maharashtra): A young couple from Aheri taluka in Gadchiroli was forced to carry the bodies of their two sons, who died after allegedly failing to receive timely medical treatment. The incident, which occurred in the district where Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis serves as Guardian Minister, has sparked outrage and criticism of the local healthcare system.

A chilling video shared by Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar shows the unidentified couple carrying the bodies of the two boys, both under 10 years old, on their shoulders while navigating a muddy forest path. Wadettiwar claimed the children succumbed to fever within hours after not receiving prompt medical attention.

“There was no ambulance available to transport the bodies of the two minors to their village, Pattigaon. The parents were forced to walk 15 km through a rain-soaked, muddy path. This incident reveals the grim reality of the healthcare system in Gadchiroli,” said Wadettiwar, condemning the state’s healthcare infrastructure.

Wadettiwar criticized the state government, pointing out that Fadnavis, from the Bharatiya Janata Party, and Dharmarao Baba Atram, an FDA Minister from the Nationalist Congress Party in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s government, have failed to address the critical issues in the region.

“They make claims about developing the state while ignoring the ground realities in places like Gadchiroli,” Wadettiwar added.

This tragedy follows another incident in the Vidarbha region earlier this week, where a pregnant tribal woman, Kavita A. Sakol, from Dahendri village in the Melghat tribal region of Amravati, died after delivering a stillborn baby at home due to a delayed ambulance response. 

Sakol's family had requested an ambulance from local health authorities, but were told it would take at least four hours. Forced to deliver at home, Sakol's condition worsened, prompting her family to transport her to a rural health centre in a private vehicle. Despite being transferred between multiple hospitals, both Sakol and her newborn did not survive.

“The inadequate health infrastructure led to the deaths of both the mother and her child, exposing the negligence of officials in Melghat,” said Wadettiwar. He criticized the government for prioritizing publicity campaigns over essential services like ambulances, referencing the Rs 1,500 monthly payments under the ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme.

Both incidents have prompted strong reactions on social media, highlighting the failures in the healthcare system in rural Maharashtra. However, there has been no official response from the government so far. IANS