A one-year-old boy died after being referred from one hospital to another across four districts over six days in Uttarakhand. The boy, Shivansh Joshi, was the son of an Army jawan posted along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, The Times of India reported.
His death has raised serious concerns about healthcare in the state’s remote regions and has prompted Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to order a high-level probe. The chief minister took to X and said the news of the child's death was ‘extremely painful.’
“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, CM Dhami added.
Shivansh’s medical journey began on July 10, when he fell ill with vomiting and dehydration in Chidanga village, located in the hilly region near Gwaldam in Chamoli district. His mother, Amisha, and grandmother, Durga Devi, had to carry him on foot through 3 km of forest to the nearest community health centre. Though he was admitted around 1.50 pm, the centre lacked any paediatric care, and the family was referred to Baijnath.
At Baijnath, the child only received basic first aid and an ultrasound. With no paediatrician available there either, the family was told to go to the district hospital in Bageshwar, nearly 20 km away.
According to Shivansh’s father, Dinesh Joshi, the situation only worsened from there. “Doctors at Bageshwar barely checked my son and asked my family to take him to Almora. I tried to speak to them but they were rude. My wife and mother were struggling while I was helpless on a call,” he was quoted by TOI as saying. The ambulance that was expected to arrive within 30 minutes came only after 9.30 pm, hours later, after Joshi contacted the District Magistrate directly.
By the time Shivansh reached Bageshwar, his condition had worsened. According to Chief Medical Officer Dr Kumar Aditya Tiwari, the child was suffering from continuous seizures, high fever, and suspected brain damage (infarct). Since the hospital lacked an MRI facility and a paediatric ICU, doctors referred him to a higher-level hospital.
Shivansh was then taken to Almora Medical College, which had a paediatric ICU, but doctors there reportedly could not stabilise him. He was eventually shifted to Sushila Tiwari Hospital in Haldwani, where he died in the ICU on July 15.
An internal inquiry has confirmed that a delay of nearly three hours was caused by the 108 ambulance service. Staff responsible for the delay have been removed, and a full report is being submitted to higher authorities.
Despite multiple visits to five hospitals in four districts, little could be done to save the child.
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