Gadchiroli: A couple in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, was forced to carry the bodies of their two sons on their shoulders for 15 km to their village after they tragically died from a fever, due to the unavailability of an ambulance.The video of the incident shared by Leader of Opposition, Vijay Wadettiwar on Thursday has sparked a massive controversy and backlash. In the video, the couple is purportedly seen carrying their sons through a muddy forest in Aheri taluka, Gadchirol.
The boys, suffering from fever, deteriorated rapidly due to what Wadettiwar described as a failure to access timely healthcare. “The two siblings were suffering from fever, but they did not get the treatment on time. Within a couple of hours, their condition deteriorated, and barely in the next one hour, the two boys died,” said Wadettiwar in a post on X.
दोन्ही लेकरांचे ‘मृतदेह’ खांद्यावर घेऊन चिखलातून वाट शोधत पुढे जात असलेले हे दाम्पत्य गडचिरोली जिल्ह्यातील अहेरी तालुक्यातील आहे.आजोळी आलेल्या दोन भावंडांना ताप आला. वेळेत उपचार मिळाले नाही. दोन तासांतच दोघांचीही प्रकृती खालावली व दीड तासांच्या अंतराने दोघांनीही अखेरचा श्वास… pic.twitter.com/ekQBQHXeGu
— Vijay Wadettiwar (@VijayWadettiwar) September 5, 2024
He further highlighted the grim state of healthcare infrastructure in the region, adding, “There was no ambulance to even transfer the two minors' bodies to their village, Pattigaon. The parents were forced to walk 15 km through the rain-soaked muddy path. A grim reality of the healthcare system of Gadchiroli has again come to the fore today.”
The incident occurred in Gadchiroli, where Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis serves as the Guardian Minister. Wadettiwar also pointed out that the district’s FDA Minister, Dharmarao Baba Atram, is from the Nationalist Congress Party, an ally of the ruling government.
“Both make claims of how the state can develop every day by conducting events all over Maharashtra. They should go down to the ground level and see how the people live in Gadchiroli and the death toll there,” Wadettiwar added.
This tragic incident follows another similar case in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region earlier this month. On September 1, a pregnant tribal woman from Melghat, Amravati, died after delivering a stillborn baby at home. Despite her family requesting an ambulance, local health authorities reportedly stated it would take at least four hours to arrive. The woman, Kavita A. Sakol, was eventually taken to a hospital in a private vehicle, but both she and her infant died due to delayed treatment.
“The struggle for life ended for both the mother and the infant on Sunday morning. Both lives were lost due to inadequate health infrastructure and exposed the callous officials in Melghat,” said Wadettiwar, further criticising the government's priorities.
He added, “The government, which is seeking votes by paying them Rs 1500/month under the ‘Ladki Bahin' scheme, could have spent the mega publicity blitz money for ambulances here.”