GURGAON: The body of Anuradha, a 35-year-old woman who died during tuberculosis treatment at a Faridabad hospital, was taken home by her family on Wednesday in the same motorised pushcart they earn their livelihood from.With his grandfather driving the cart and father and grandmother in mourning, the woman’s seven-year-old son did his best to ensure the journey home was as dignified as possible for his dead mother, holding on to the sheet draped over her corpse to prevent the wind from blowing it away.There were many who witnessed the poignant sight. But for those 10-odd kilometres from Badshah Khan Civil Hospital to their house in Sarurpur, the family of four was utterly alone as Purshottam made his way through traffic, focused on safely completing the ride. Their plight served yet another reminder of the lack of access to ambulances and hearses and institutional support for families, especially from economically weaker sections. Time and again, there have been instances of the next of kin taking sick family members to hospital or dead family members home in carts, rickshaws, motorcycles, autos, vans, etc. last week, a 70-year-old man drove a cycle rickshaw 300km from Sambalpur to Cuttack to get his wife to hospital because he didn’t have money for an ambulance.It was the same for Jhunjhun. He had no money left. Anuradha was admitted to the hospital with tuberculosis complications on Wednesday. She passed away around 3pm. Jhunjhun told TOI on Wednesday he had spent whatever savings he had and all that he could gather on his wife’s treatment. Anuradha’s (35) condition had been worsening over the last few months “Ambulance operators asked for Rs 700 to take my wife’s body home. I don’t have any money left,” he said. “I had to borrow money for her cremation. Everything got spent on her treatment.” Jhunjhun said Anuradha had initially been undergoing treatment at BK Civil Hospital, but as her condition deteriorated, she was referred multiple times to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital and AIIMS. “We ran from one hospital to another. Around Rs 4 lakh was spent, but she could not be saved,” he said.At the village, neighbours pooled money for the last rites. Asked about the availability of hearses, deputy civil surgeon Dr MP Singh said govt ambulances are not meant for transporting bodies. “There is no provision to carry corpses in health department ambulances. For this, hearse vans or mortuary vans are provided through Red Cross. This facility is available in Faridabad and can be accessed by making a request through the hospital control room,” he said.Singh said the civil surgeon had taken cognisance of the incident. “If the family was forced to take the body on a cart, the case will be investigated. If any negligence is found, action will be taken,” he said, clarifying that private ambulance operators function independently and are not under the health department’s control.
