Bhubaneswar, October 5: In a shocking case of medical apathy reported from Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, a pregnant woman died after the ambulance which was rushing her to a government hospital in Baripada city ran out of fuel. The administration has been left embarrassed by the incident and called for an inquiry into the matter. Strict action will be taken against all those found to be negligent, said the Chief Medical Officer. Odisha Shocker: Locals Pull Out Teeth of 6 Men, Make Them Eat Human Excreta on Suspicion of Practising Witchcraft.

The incident was reported on Saturday, when the Tulsi Munda was being being shifted to a hospital via an ambulance. Reportedly the pregnant woman was admitted to Bangiriposhi Hospital initially. Later, she was being shifted to Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital (PRMMCH) in Baripada. Enroute, the ambulance ran out of fuel near Kuliani.

Another ambulance was arranged in the next 45 minutes. However, the doctors declared her brought dead. "The vehicle had sufficient fuel but the oil pipe burst on the way which caused leakage of fuel. The patient was also in a critical condition. The investigation is underway," said Dr PK Mohapatra, Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) of Baripada.

Update by ANI:

The incident is really saddening. I called the doctors at Bangiriposhi hospital, where the deceased woman was initially admitted. Doctors there told me that the driver asserted there was some problem with the fuel pipe. I will inquire this matter, whether it was irresponsibility or any other unfortunate incident," he added.

According to Mohapatra, after the ambulance broke down midway, another ambulance was called at 108 and the woman was shifted to another hospital. "This is irresponsible behaviour on part of the hospital authority and ambulance staff. They should have checked the ambulance before sending it," said Prakash Soren, MLA of Baripada. (With ANI inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 05, 2019 10:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).