Bengaluru, Feb 21: In yet another shocker, a 20-year-old hearing-impaired girl died allegedly after calls for an ambulance to rush her to hospital elicited no response. Later, her father, a jasmine vendor, ferried her body home on his moped.
T Ratnamma, a resident of Veerapura near Madhugiri, about 150 km from Bengaluru, had complained of severe fever and cold last Saturday morning. With Rs 150 in his pocket, her father D Thimmappa rod 6km with her lying semiconscious on his pillion, his son holding her tight, to the primary health centre in Kodigenahalli in Madhugiri taluk, Tumakuru district on Sunday. He found no help there.
Doctors gave Ratnamma a few tablets before sending her home. By night, Ratnamma, through gestures, told her father she was not feeling comfortable. Thimmappa said he called for an ambulance to shift Ratnamma to a hospital in Madhugiri, 21km away. Thimmappa then took Ratnamma to a private clinic in Kodi genahalli, where Dr Raju administered three injections and gave her pills.
"We returned home around 11 pm, again on my moped. Ratnamma did not sleep through the night. Early morning, she started shivering, and I could see her struggle to breathe," Thimmappa told media persons on Monday.
Ratnamma's sister-in-law Varalakshmi made her coffee, which she had with biscuits, around 4am By dawn, her condition worsened.Thimmappa decided to take her to Madhugiri, and called for an ambulance. As on the previous day, the ambulance did not turn up.
Around 7.30 am, Ratnamma began losing consciousness. Around 8am, Thimmappa again rode to the Kodigenahalli health centre, with his son Raju carrying Ratnamma on the pillion.
"We reached the health centre where doctors said we would have to shift her to the Madhugiri hospital, as her condition was serious. I knew I wouldn't find an ambulance, so we went back to Dr Raju, who declared her brought dead," Thimmappa's son said.
The father and son requested the doctor to provide transportation to shift the body, but he allegedly threw up his hands. The duo took the body on the moped to the health centre, hoping to get an ambulance. But the staff told them they cannot provide an ambulance to shift a body.
"I had Rs 95 left in my pocket. Private transport was beyond my means. I rode back home with Raju carrying her body on the pillion," a distraught Thimmappa said.
Health officer’s response
On the other hand Tumakuru district health officer Rangaswamy has rubbished the allegations made by Thimmappa. “According to our internal reports, Thimmappa never called for an ambulance nor did he come to the primary health centre. His biggest mistake was to visit a private doctor. I will crosscheck the facts again with my staff. We don't provide an ambulance to shift a body. The next of kin should make their own arrangements,” he said.
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