Dehradun | In a heart-wrenching case that has highlighted serious gaps in Uttarakhand’s rural healthcare system, a one-year-old child died after being shuttled between five different hospitals across four districts over six days. The infant, suffering from severe dehydration, reportedly faced repeated delays in treatment, poor ambulance coordination, and lack of specialised paediatric care—ultimately leading to his death.
According to reports, the child—son of an army jawan—began vomiting and stopped breastfeeding on July 10. His family first took him to the local Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Gwaldam, which lacked basic paediatric facilities. Over the next few days, the child was referred to Baijnath’s Community Health Centre, the District Hospital in Bageshwar, followed by Almora and finally Haldwani’s Sushila Tiwari Government Hospital, where he was put on a ventilator but could not survive.
The family has accused medical authorities of gross negligence, claiming that doctors were inattentive and ambulance services were unresponsive. In one instance, they said an ambulance took over two hours to arrive, forcing them to reach out to the District Magistrate for help. The lack of specialised paediatric ICU facilities and poor referral coordination were cited as major causes for the repeated delays.
The tragic death has triggered a public outcry and a government-led inquiry. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami called the incident “extremely painful and unfortunate” and stated that “negligence appears to have occurred at certain levels.” He ordered an immediate investigation by the Kumaon Commissioner and assured strict action against those found guilty.
Health Secretary Dr R Rajesh Kumar also reviewed the preliminary findings and deemed them unclear regarding the seriousness of the treatment and the rationale behind the referrals. A detailed probe has now been assigned to the District Magistrate of Bageshwar. Show-cause notices have been issued to key officials, including the Chief Medical Superintendent, the Additional Chief Medical Officer, a Senior Medical Officer, and the attending paediatrician, with all directed to submit responses within seven days.
Health experts have stressed the urgent need to operationalise District Early Intervention Centres (DEICs) and strengthen First Referral Units (FRUs) to provide continuous, specialist paediatric care. They also called for improved emergency transport systems integrated with e-referral networks and better training for frontline healthcare workers in recognising early signs of critical illness.
Dr. Kumar added that the health department will establish an independent high-level committee to ensure a transparent and impartial investigation. He assured that accountability and systemic reform remain top priorities to prevent such tragedies in the future.
