Bhilwara: A woman in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara tragically died after getting stuck inside an ambulance due to its jammed doors and failing to get medical treatment at a hospital on time following a suicide attempt. The incident has triggered outrage and a probe by the state health department.
The woman lost her life inside an EMRIGHS-operated ambulance on Sunday. By the time she was taken out by smashing the window glass and taken to the hospital, doctors declared her brought dead, Times of India reported.
Woman had hung herself
The woman attempted suicide by hanging in her room but was rescued on time by her family. While rushing her to the hospital, the family reported that critical time was lost due to the ambulance’s jammed doors.
The family further alleged that the ambulance lacked oxygen facilities and that the staff were unfamiliar with the hospital route, causing further delays. According to them, the doors remained stuck for over 15 minutes, exacerbating the situation.
Dr CP Goswami, Bhilwara’s Chief Medical and Health Officer, stated, “We have formed a committee to investigate the matter and have asked for a report to be submitted soon.”
The investigation will focus on various aspects, including the ambulance’s last inspection records, response times, police documentation, details of the hospital arrival, analysis of the door malfunction, the driver’s route knowledge, postmortem findings, and emergency medical attendance records, Dr Goswami added.
However, the ambulance carrier – EMRIGHS, denied that the woman died due to malfunctioning doors, claiming that the woman did not any vital signs when she was boarded and that she may have died before.
“We possess documentary evidence to substantiate this,” EMRIGH stated, adding that their report indicates the ambulance door functioned correctly during patient loading but malfunctioned at the hospital due to multiple simultaneous attempts to open it.
According to EMRIGH’s investigation, the ambulance (RJ14PD7015) received the emergency call on 19 January at 9:51 AM and arrived at the scene by 9:56 AM. It reached MG Hospital at 10:13 AM. “This evidence contradicts claims of route unfamiliarity,” the organisation asserted. EMRIGH also confirmed that oxygen was provided during transit, with the cylinders having been refilled on 8 January 2025.
