Couple tragically carries deceased children 15 km through muddy path amidst healthcare crisis
by Aditi VermaIn a harrowing incident in western India’s Maharashtra, a couple was forced to carry their deceased children for 15 kilometers on foot after they died from a fever, highlighting severe deficiencies in local healthcare and ambulance services.
The incident took place in Pattigaon village, located in Aheri taluka of the Gadchiroli district on September 4.
Visuals showed due to the lack of medical facilities, parents were forced to carry their deceased children’s bodies in their arms and walk 15 kilometers through a muddy path. The parents, struggling through the difficult terrain, had to navigate the slippery and challenging road with the weight of their children’s lifeless bodies on their shoulders. The path was heavily caked with mud, making each step a grueling effort as they made their way home. The scene was both heart-wrenching and a stark representation of the severe healthcare deficiencies in the region.
In Maharashtra’s Aheri taluka, a couple endured a heartbreaking ordeal when they were compelled to transport the bodies of their two deceased children over a 15-kilometer muddy path to their village. The children, aged six years and three-and-a-half years, fell ill on September 4 and were taken to the Jamilgatta Primary Health Center on foot. Despite the desperate rush, the children were declared dead on arrival due to the severity of their conditions, which deteriorated rapidly.
The couple, unable to secure an ambulance, had no choice but to carry their children’s bodies on their shoulders back to their village, Pattigaon. The distressing scene was captured in videos that have since gone viral on social media, drawing significant criticism of the local healthcare system and emergency response services.
Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar brought the tragic incident to the attention of the state Assembly, calling for immediate reforms. Health officials have since registered a medico-legal case and sent the bodies for post-mortem examination, with results pending. This incident follows another recent case in the Vidarbha region, where a pregnant tribal woman and her stillborn child faced a similar lack of timely medical intervention.
The community and political leaders are now demanding urgent improvements to the healthcare infrastructure, especially in remote areas, to prevent such tragic outcomes in the future.