Uttarakhand horror: Shuffled between 5 hospitals in 4 districts, one-year-old boy dies due to 'medical negligence'
PTC Web Desk: The tragic death of a one-year-old boy, Shivansh Joshi, has sparked outrage in Uttarakhand. The child, son of Army officer Dinesh Chandra Joshi, reportedly died after being shuffled between five hospitals across four districts, allegedly due to medical negligence and the absence of timely care.
On July 10, Shivansh Joshi began showing signs of severe dehydration, including frequent vomiting and an inability to breastfeed. Concerned for his health, his mother took him to the Public Health Centre (PHC) in Gwaldam, Chamoli. However, due to the lack of a paediatrician and adequate facilities, the child was immediately referred to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Baijnath, Bageshwar, located 22 km away.
At the CHC, he received initial treatment, but as his condition worsened, he was further referred to the District Hospital in Bageshwar, another 20 km journey.
According to his father, the emergency room doctor was seen using his mobile phone, and the nursing staff appeared indifferent, joking and laughing instead of attending to the critical case. He alleged that the doctor didn’t examine his son properly and simply referred them to Almora, citing the absence of a paediatric ICU.
The child’s mother described a harrowing wait for an ambulance. Despite being advised to dial the emergency 108 service around 7 pm, the vehicle only arrived at 9.30 pm, after repeated calls and a direct appeal to the District Magistrate.
The child's mother said she was alone as her husband was on duty in Jammu and Kashmir. She pleaded with the hospital staff, but no one seemed to care. There was no urgency, no empathy, she said.
The ambulance finally took Shivansh to Almora Medical College, the fourth hospital in their desperate search for care. Despite treatment, the child was once again referred, this time to Haldwani in Nainital.
At Haldwani Medical College, the doctors placed the child on a ventilator on July 12, hoping to stabilise his deteriorating condition. But despite efforts, Shivansh succumbed to his condition on July 16.
His father alleged that they lost their son because of careless and irresponsible behaviour.
The child’s mother said her son was alive when they left Gwaldam. She said "I pray no parent ever has to go through what we experienced”.
Meanwhile, taking serious note of the matter, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami condemned the incident and ordered a thorough investigation. He called it a heartbreaking incident and said it is the government’s responsibility to ensure healthcare delivery was not compromised. "We will take strict action against those found guilty of negligence,” he stated.
- With inputs from agencies
