Rayagada: A 10-year-old Class IV student of a government-run residential school in Rayagada district died of malaria on Tuesday. The tragedy took a grim turn when his family allegedly had to carry his body home on a motorcycle after failing to obtain a hearse or ambulance from the hospital.
The deceased, Chandu Ulaka, was a student of the Upper Primary School at Suri under Kolnara block, which is run by the Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste Development Department.
According to reports, Chandu had been suffering from fever for the past three to four days. After the school authorities alerted the Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) posted in Suri village, his blood sample was tested and reportedly confirmed to be positive for malaria. The ANM administered anti-malarial medication, and two students, including Chandu, tested positive during the screening.
Following the diagnosis, the school informed Chandu’s father, Ramesh Ulaka, who arrived at the hostel and took his son to their native village, Lalibi. However, the boy’s condition deteriorated later in the day, prompting the family to rush him to the Kolnara Community Health Centre (CHC) in an ambulance.
Doctors at the CHC declared the child dead shortly after he was brought to the hospital.
The family’s ordeal did not end there. Chandu’s relatives alleged that despite waiting for nearly two hours at the CHC, they were not provided with either a Mahaprayan hearse vehicle or an ambulance to transport the body.
With no alternative arrangement made by the authorities, the grieving family carried the child’s body home on a motorcycle, drawing criticism from local residents and triggering tension at the hospital. Officials had not responded to the family’s allegations at the time of filing this report.
