Malkangiri: Unable to afford hiring charges of the hearse available at the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) here under the Mahaparayan scheme, a man had to carry the corpse of his 4-year-old daughter to their home 15 km away on a motorcycle.
On Sunday Irma Madhi of Tonguda village in Sindrimal panchayat under Malkangiri Sadar block brought his sick 4-year-old daughter Rashmita to the DHH here for treatment.
However, the child died while undergoing treatment at the DHH. When Irma inquired about the hearse available under the Mahaparayan scheme to carry home the body of his dead daughter, he was told by the attending staff nurse (madam) that he has to deposit Rs 500 @ of Rs 13 per km in advance to avail the service.
Since Irma was unable to afford the amount, he carried Rashmita’s body on a motorcycle after giving an undertaking at the DHH.
“My daughter was suffering from malaria. We brought her to the hospital. Doctors said fresh blood needs to be administered. While we were trying to arrange blood she passed away. We asked for an ambulance to carry the body. Madam told me that to transport the body to Sindrimal it will cost Rs 800-900 which has to be deposited in advance,” said Irma Madhi, father of the deceased child.
Irma stated that being poor he couldn’t afford the amount and decided to carry his daughter’s body on the motorcycle.
“We were asked to sign on a piece of paper by the hospital authorities and were allowed to carry the body on a bike,” Irma added.
Malkangiri Chief District Medical & Public Health Officer (CDM&PHO) Dr Prafulla Kumar Nanda has said that had the deceased’s kin approached him or the ADMO they could have provided it for free.
“On enquiry, I have come to know that a 3-year-old child of Sindramal had died of septicemia. The deceased’s kin had sought a hearse and the staff nurse had told them that since the charges of the vehicle is Rs 13 per km and accordingly, it will cost them Rs 400. Then they said that they would carry the body by arranging conveyance of their own. And they were allowed to do so after giving an undertaking. Had they approached any authority like the CDMO or ADMO the hearse service could have been made available for free,” clarified Dr Nanda.
It is pertinent to mention here that the provision of a hearse under the Mahaparayan Scheme to transport bodies of persons dying at government hospitals to their homes is a ‘pay and use service’ at ‘no profit no loss basis’.
District Collectors fix per kilometre charges taking into consideration mileage of the vehicle, maintenance, tax, and insurance.
The guidelines of the ‘Mahaprayan scheme’ clearly say that beneficiaries irrespective of which category they belong to can avail of the service on a ‘pay and use’ basis.
