Shivansh Joshi, a one-year-old boy, died of dehydration due to medical negligence in Uttarakhand. The boy was referred to at least five hospitals in four districts. The boy was the son of an army officer, Dinesh Chandra Joshi and died apparently due to inadequate service, lack of medical attention, and medical professional recklessness.
Shivansh had shown symptoms of dehydration from July 10, including regular vomiting. As he could not be breastfed, his mother took him to a public health centre PHC in Chamoli’s Gwaldam at around 1:50 pm. The boy was transferred to the community health centre in Bageshwar’s Baijnath, around 22 kilometres away. The public health centre did not have a paediatrician or facilities to help the child, according to reports. A staff member said, “We did not have a paediatrician to look at the child. The CHC had ultrasound facilities, and first aid services were done there,” while speaking to the Indian Express.
From there, the child was taken to the CHC in Baijnath, where he was treated. As the boy's condition deteriorated, he was moved once again to the district hospital in Baeshwar, which is another 20 kilometres away.
According to the boy’s father, the doctor on duty was busy on his mobile phone, and the nurses on duty were joking around and laughing. The boy's father said, "Neither the doctor nor the other staff talked politely. Even during the emergency, the doctor did not check my 14-month-old son properly and instead, referred him to Almora," while speaking to NDTV.
The child suffered from the blood flow impedance in the brain, and the lack of a paediatric ICU unit, neurologists, and cardiologists forced the doctor to refer the child to a higher centre, according to Dr Kumar Aditya Tiwari, the chief medical officer of the district hospital. The CMO said that a committee had been appointed to investigate the incident, and a report was submitted.
Shivansh’s mother, said she had called for an ambulance at 7 pm, but the vehicle was two and a half hours late. Only after the father, Dinesh Joshi, who at the time was stationed at Jammu and Kashmir, called the District Magistrate and asked for help did the vehicle arrive.
The child's mother said, “When doctors asked me to call 108 for better treatment, I did, but there was no immediate action. I was alone. My husband was on duty in Jammu and Kashmir. I told the doctor that the ambulance had not arrived. The hospital staff were not concerned about helping us. They were oblivious to our pleas."
When the ambulance arrived at 9:30 pm, the boy was taken to Almora Medical College, the fourth Medical college, which was about 68 kilometres away. The child was treated there but was once again referred to another hospital, The Haldwani Sushila Tiwari government hospital in Nainital, Haldwani. The doctors had put the boy on a ventilator in Haldwan on July 12. Four days later, on July 16, the boy was declared dead.
The boy’s father said "I want to ask all people concerned, what does emergency mean? We lost our son to recklessness," He said. He was heartbroken that he couldn't save his child. “I have lost my one-year-old son. I pray that no parent has to go through what I did. The child was alive when we took the child from Gwaldam to Baijnath to Bageshwar,“ said the mother.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami made a post on X that said, “The news of the death of an innocent child in Bageshwar due to negligence in medical treatment is extremely painful and unfortunate." ”As per the information received so far, it appears at first glance that negligence has been shown by officials and employees at certain levels in the discharge of their duties. Immediate investigation orders have been given to the Kumaon Commissioner. If negligence or indifference is found at any level in this case, the strictest action against the guilty will be ensured. No leniency will be tolerated in protecting the trust and lives of the public," he said.