Bellary Man Carries Teen Daughter from One Hosp Ward to Another Due to 'Unavailability of Wheelchair'

Bengaluru: A video of a father carrying his 14-year-old daughter due to “unavailability of a wheelchair” inside a hospital has surfaced from Ballary district in Karnataka.

The girl who had reportedly fallen unconscious is seen being carried by her father from the emergency to the pediatric ward.

The girl, Srimtaj, had fainted at her school on Wednesday. After initial checkup, her parents rushed to the emergency ward of Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) in Bellary.

“After preliminary examination, they asked us to take her to the nearby pediatric ward. They asked us to take an auto. Though we had brought her to the emergency ward in a wheelchair, after checkup they said, this is for adults and the children’s ward is nearby. They left her outside the ward in a wheelchair and then asked us to take her to the pediatric ward,” said Mabasha, Srimtaj’s father.

“She already has a heart condition and was not keeping well. They did not give us a wheelchair to take her to the pediatric ward. What if something happened to her by the time we got an auto, so he (Mabasha) decided to carry her on his own,” said Fathima, Srimtaj’s mother.

The two wards are about half-a-kilometer away from each other. In the video that seemed to have been shot by a bystander, the man is seen walking hurriedly with his 14-year-old daughter in his arms.

“We have gone through different CCTV footage of the hospital. The girl was brought in a wheelchair. We take in all emergencies. After examination, they had sent her to pediatric ward. I do not know why he carried her himself. If the staff there did not give a wheelchair, he could have told the doctor and they would have taken her from inside the hospital. I have written to the medical superintendent and sought details. I have also issued a circular to all departments to take patients from one ward to another if need be,” said Dr Devanand Bheema, Director of VIMS.

"The incident happened on Wednesday. I came to know of it on Thursday through media reports. Ideally, the child should have been given a wheelchair. I will check with the trolley boys and doctors and find out whose fault it was. Action will be taken accordingly. We will ensure this does not happen again," said Mariraj Hoogar, hospital superintendent.

(With inputs from Sharanu Hampi in Ballary)