With no ambulance, man carries wife's body for 45-km on cart in Prayagraj

Prayagraj: In a shocking incident, a man was forced to carry his wife's body for nearly 45 kilometers after hospital authorities failed to provide an hearse in Prayagraj district of Uttar Pradesh. 

The incident occurred after the woman died during treatment at the Swaroop Rani Nehru  (SRN) hospital in the city.

The family of the deceased woman alleged that despite repeated requests, the authorities at the hospital did not arrange a hearse. However, the hospital authorities contend that they have found no record of the woman's death at the hospital. 

According to a report, the man identified as Kallu had admitted his wife to Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital, where she died on Thursday during treatment. The woman was taken to the hospital after she received serious head injuries during an incident five days ago. 

After her death, Kallu asked hospital staff to arrange a hearse to transport the body of his wife to his village in Shankargarh in Prayagraj. But hospital authorities did not heed his request and forced him to carry the body on cart  for 45-km

Eyewitnesses say they were shocked to see Kallu carrying the body in the cart for such a long distance. Meanwhile, after the uproar, the Uttar Pradesh's Health Minister Siddharth Nath Singh has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

The minister said that strict action will be taken against those found guilty of negligence. Medical Officer of the Swarup Rani hospital has been asked to conduct an inquiry into the incident.

However, the Medical Officer AK Srivastava has said they have found no record of any patient with the name Sona, who reportedly died at the hospital. And neither they have issued any death certificate for the same.

Family carries woman's body on push-cart in Chhattisgarh

In a similar incident, the family members of a deceased woman carried her body out of a government hospital on a push-cart at Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh triggered a controversy in July last year.

The hospital authorities said that they had asked the family members to wait only till they could arrange a hearse.

Following the incident, the administration was ordered to review the facilities at the government-run Medical College Hospital (MCH) at Rajnandgaon.

Khileshwari Sahu (20), a resident of Bakhrutola village in the district, was brought to the hospital on July 1 with severe burns. She died during treatment. When her family sought a hearse, officials asked them to wait as the two hearses with the hospital were out.