Indore parents forced to push sick boy on stretcher in scorching heat, video sparks outrage

The video recorded on June 6 showed the parents of the boy pushing him on a stretcher for nearly a kilometre between the two hospitals under the intense summer heat. The footage quickly went viral on social media.

However, hospital authorities have disputed suggestions that the child was abandoned without care or transport. Speaking to The Indian Express, superintendent Dr Ashok Yadav said the child had been under treatment for a prolonged illness involving neurological complications and had already undergone a neuro-intervention procedure.

“The family was anxious about the child’s condition and wanted multiple medical opinions. They were repeatedly approaching different doctors and departments. There was a need only for documentation and paperwork between the facilities, but instead they brought the child along,” Yadav said.

According to him, the stretcher used in the journey was provided by hospital staff, a decision he described as a mistake. He maintained that physically shifting the patient was not medically required at that stage and that the movement occurred amid confusion regarding referrals and documentation.

Family’s account

The family’s account paints a different picture. The parents said they felt compelled to transport their son themselves after facing delays and uncertainty while seeking specialised treatment. They said doctors had advised them to visit the Super Speciality Hospital for further evaluation and a spinal brace, but no timely assistance was provided for the transfer.

According to the family, the boy had been undergoing treatment for around 15 days. He was admitted to MY Hospital and was referred to the Super Speciality Hospital because of a spinal issue.

But when the family reached there, they were allegedly told that the child did not need admission and that only the file and documents had to be examined. The family then had to bring him back to MY Hospital again on the stretcher, on their own, they said.

Family members said exposure to the heat causes the boy significant distress, forcing his mother to repeatedly soak a scarf in water and place it over his body during the journey.

Past controversies

The latest controversy adds to a string of incidents that have placed MY Hospital under scrutiny. In January this year, a one-and-a-half-month-old infant lost a thumb allegedly after a nurse severed it while removing an intravenous cannula, forcing the child to undergo emergency microsurgery at the Super Speciality Hospital in an attempt to reattach the digit. The episode triggered disciplinary action and widespread criticism of safety standards. Months earlier, the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) was rocked by allegations that newborns had suffered rat-bite injuries.

Hospital authorities subsequently acknowledged a rodent infestation and initiated pest-control measures. The issue escalated further after grieving families linked a series of newborn deaths to rat attacks, allegations that the hospital denied, maintaining that the infants had succumbed to underlying medical complications rather than bite-related injuries.