Dhami orders probe into death of toddler son of Army jawan deployed at Indo-China border

As the death of an 18-month-old child of a soldier deployed at the Indo-China border, due to medical negligence, triggered widespread condemnation, Uttarakhand chief minister on Thursday ordered a probe into the matter and assured action against guilty officials.

“It’s very unfortunate and sad incident. I have ordered an inquiry in the matter. Whoever is guilty will not go unpunished,” said Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, when asked how the child of an army jawan deployed in Ladakh border had to die due to lack of medical help two days ago.

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“Regulation of medical services in proper order is our top priority, but there are several challenges as well. It’s for the state government to fix the responsibilities of the employees or officials found guilty of negligence, laxity and insensitivity towards their duty,” stated Dhami.

An 18-month-old Shubhanshu Joshi, son of army Jawan Dinesh Chandra Joshi, died in Haldwani due to a delay in the medical aid. The deceased toddler from Gwaldam in Chamoli district had to suffer a series of references from one place to another before he succumbed to his illness and was declared brought dead by the doctors in Haldwani.

“Uttarakhand health department has failed to save the life of an 18-month-old child of an army Jawan deployed at the Indo-China border. It’s a sad story of the department that boasts of more than 4.6 thousand crore budget for medical health services. It’s also a startling reflection of poor health services and acute negligence on the part of medical officers in the state. The poor kid and his family were made to suffer the brunt of a series of references from one place to another for hours before he breathed his last,” alleged senior spokesperson of the state Congress, Garima Mehra Dasauni.

Notably, the ill-fated child had a mere fever and minor chest congestion when he was taken to the local health centre at Gwaldam. Here, Shubhanshu’s condition worsened and doctors referred him to the medical centre at Baijnath. Hereafter, doctors referred the family to take the child to the Bageshwar district hospital. Here, too, the child was not given any treatment and referred to Almora.

Sadly, Almora medical officers too did not find it proper to help the poor child and asked the family to take him to Haldwani, where Shubhanshu was declared brought dead by the doctors. According to the reports, the child had to suffer a series of referrals from one medical centre to another due to the lack of a paediatrician.