Got no ambulance for hours, say parents of Jharkhand girl who died after fall; Opposition slams govt ‘inaction’

The incident happened in the Madan Chowki village of Thakurgangti police station area.

The victim’s parents, Sanjay Mahto and his wife, alleged that there was no ambulance available despite continuous calls to the 108 service for over three hours.

हेमंत सरकार की घोर लापरवाही का खामियाजा गोड्डा की एक मासूम बेटी को अपनी जान देकर भुगतना पड़ा। छत से गिरकर गंभीर रूप से घायल हुई बच्ची के परिजन घंटों तक एम्बुलेंस का इंतजार करते रहे, लेकिन सरकारी एम्बुलेंस समय पर नहीं पहुंची।

स्वास्थ्य मंत्री और विभागीय अधिकारियों की निष्क्रियता… https://t.co/RWQjilFDUV

— Babulal Marandi (@yourBabulal) June 22, 2025

In a purported video that went viral, the parents said that after failing to get a government ambulance, they had to hire a private one.

On Sunday, Civil Surgeon of Godda, Dr Anand Kumar Jha, told The Indian Express: “I received the information about this case only yesterday. No prior intimation or official report came to us earlier.”

He said that the full report from hospital authorities and the ambulance service is expected by tomorrow.

The Civil Surgeon also said that he has initiated a probe and has asked the Deputy Superintendent and the ambulance agency for an explanation. “We are verifying whether any calls were made to the 108 service and if so, why they were not attended to. If there was a failure in the system, action will be taken,” he said.

The child was registered in the hospital’s records, Jha said, suggesting that the family may have initially reached Godda’s Sadar Hospital before attempting to move the child to Ranchi. Officials are also trying to ascertain whether standard referral protocols were followed, especially regarding the formal referral from the district hospital to Ranchi, he said.

After a series of similar incidents reported from rural areas, Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi raised the issue and slammed the state government.

He posted on X saying: “A young girl from Godda had to pay the price for the gross negligence of the Hemant Soren government with her life. The family of the girl, who was seriously injured after falling from the roof, kept waiting for the ambulance for hours, but the government ambulance did not arrive on time. The inaction and corruption of the Health Minister and senior health officials are now directly endangering the lives of citizens. Be it the free ambulance service or the Ayushman Bharat Yojana… the Hemant government has turned every healthcare initiative into a den of corruption and commission. @HemantSorenJMM Sir, stop putting people’s lives at risk by keeping silent on the widespread corruption in the health department.”