Dhanbad (Jharkhand): A shocking incident from the Baghmara region has once again raised serious questions over the state of public healthcare in Jharkhand. A newborn reportedly died after failing to receive oxygen support at the Baghmara Community Health Centre, exposing glaring lapses in emergency medical preparedness.
According to family members, the infant developed breathing complications immediately after birth and urgently required oxygen. However, in a critical failure, the hospital allegedly had no oxygen supply available at that moment. As the newborn’s condition deteriorated rapidly, doctors referred the child to another facility in a last-ditch attempt to save its life.
The situation worsened when even the emergency ambulance service—108 ambulance service India—was unavailable. Left with no choice, the family rushed the newborn in a private vehicle, but the infant died on the way.
The tragedy triggered anger and protests at the hospital premises, with grieving family members accusing the administration of gross negligence. The Medical Officer-in-Charge, Dr Sri Nath has reportedly admitted that oxygen cylinders were not available at the time and, shaken by the incident, has expressed his willingness to resign.
Police later reached the scene to calm tensions and restore order.
The incident has reignited concerns over the gap between official claims and ground realities in the healthcare system. It underscores systemic deficiencies in rural medical infrastructure—where even basic life-saving facilities remain uncertain—raising urgent calls for accountability and reform.
Failure of government health care system.