After 100-km runaround of three hospitals, tribal boy in Palghar dies of pneumonia

Sixyearold Ajay Pardhi a tribal boy in Palghar died of severe pneumonia on the eve of Republic Day after travelling 100 km from one hospital to another in a tempo and motorcycle in the biting cold His body too had to be brought back to his home in Payarwadi village Palghar over 40 km away on a motorcycle in the absence of an ambulanceSources close to the family told midday that Ajay had been suffering from high fever for the past three days and his condition deteriorated on January 25 Yogesh Dhinde a neighbour told midday that the Pardhi family decided to go to a private hospital in Nashik ldquoas doctors are generally not available at the government hospital in Mokhada talukardquo He added ldquoHis father Yuvraj requested a vegetable carrying tempo to take Ajay to a hospital in Nashik and reached at 830 amrdquoAjay Pardhi 6 the deceasedldquoHe was administered some medicines at the private hospital and his blood tests and Xray were conducted But his health did not improve so around 215 pm the doctors suggested that Yuvraj take Ajay to a rural hospital in Palgharrdquo he added As the family could not afford an ambulance they requested a tempo driver take them to Mokhada ldquoThe boy was then admitted to a rural hospital in Mokhada where doctors were not available The nurses who were there administered some medicines but Ajayrsquos oxygen level was dipping But he said he wanted to return homerdquo he addedReferred againAround 1520 minutes after his admission the rural hospital referred Ajay to a bigger subdistrict Cottage Hospital in Jawhar but the family were not given an ambulance ldquoThe Pardhi family had to carry their ailing child in a motorcycle in bonechilling cold around 20 kms away to Cottage Hospital They reached there around 415 pm but Ajayrsquos oxygen level did not improve and he died around 9 pmrdquo Dhinde saidThe rural hospital in Mokhada PalgharDr Ramdas Marad paediatrician at Cottage Hospital said ldquoThe cause of death is severe pneumoniardquo The family then asked the hospital to provide a hearse vehicle to carry their son back home but to no avail ldquoYuvraj told me that the driver demanded money to take his sonrsquos body from Jawhar to Payarwadihellip he Yuvraj told him that he would pay him at the village but the driver refused So at 945 pm they took the body on a motorcycle and reached the village in the nightrdquo said DhindeldquoSo overall the Pardhi family travelled 140 kms within 12 hours 100 km carrying their son in a vegetable carrying tempo and motorcycle only to return to their villagecarrying his dead body for 40 kmhelliprdquo Dhinde saidPoor health infraVivek Pandit chairman of a governmentappointed committee to look into the status of schemes for tribals in Maharashtra said the incident reflects ldquofailure of the governmentrdquo ldquoThere is no civil hospital in Palghar district And there is a dearth of gynaecologist anaesthetic paediatrician etc at rural hospitals Even those appointed by the government at the hospitals are busy running their own clinicsrdquo Pandit told middayYuvraj Pardhi deceasedrsquos fatherldquoWhy was the Pardhi family not given an ambulance What were the doctors doing Why did they not attend the patient on time Why is the government not taking steps to save tribal children I would say this is a total collapse as there is no curative facility in Palgharrdquo he said Additional civil surgeon Dr Rajendra Kelkar however told midday that there is a paediatrician at the rural hospital in Mokhada but the doctor has tested positive for COVID19 ldquoHence he was not available there The patient was immediately referred to Cottage Hospital in Jawhar where we have two paediatricians We could not save his life as he was brought to the Cottage Hospital in a very critical conditionrdquo Dr Kelkar told middayPandit wondered ldquoIt means if a paediatrician in Mokhada tests positive the ailing children visiting the hospital for treatment will be left to die The health condition of Palghar district is so pathetic that if you fall ill you will surely die as the doctors are busy running their own hospitals and clinicsrdquo Pandit addedWhy no ambulanceSpeaking about why Pardhis were not given an ambulance or hearse vehicle Dr Kelkar said ldquoNo driver demanded money from the bereaved family The ambulance driver was not available and told the family to wait for 30 minutes but they did not wait and returned But if allegations are being made we will check it at our levelrdquoVivek Pandit a tribal activistIn the absence of a civil hospital in Palghar district the patientsmdashmostly povertystricken and uneducatedmdashare left to die A ninemonth pregnant tribal woman Rekha Potinda 36 from Kayri village in Jawhar taluka died at a Nashik Civil hospital in October Potinda was forced to travel to three different medical institutions even as she was bleeding before breathing her last140 kmTotal distance travelled