A 21-year-old man suffering from a kidney ailment died in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandla district after a government ambulance allegedly ran out of oxygen before it could reach the hospital, his father said on Friday (July 31, 2026), highlighting delays and lapses by the health department.
The incident took place on July 27 and various videos related to it have surfaced on local social media, prompting the district administration to form a five-member committee to investigate.
Mandla Collector Rahul Namdev Dhote told The Hindu that the panel comprises doctors and officials, is headed by the Joint Collector, and that strict action will be taken based on the findings.
The victim has been identified as Ajeet Bariya, 21, a resident of Sunhera Mal village under Bamhani police station area. He had been undergoing regular dialysis treatment at the district hospital.
His father, Aman Bariya, told reporters that he called an ambulance through the State Government’s dial 108 service after his son had difficulty breathing on July 27.
“Before that, I had called the dialysis centre in Mandla requesting an earlier appointment. After they denied the request, I called the 108 ambulance and explained his breathing condition and specifically asked them to bring oxygen. The ambulance arrived an hour later, but the attendants refused to administer oxygen without a doctor’s recommendation,” he said, adding that the ambulance staff also denied his request to travel directly to the district hospital and took them to the government hospital in Bamhani as it was closest.
“In Bamhani, the doctor scolded the ambulance staff after seeing my son’s condition and asked them to provide oxygen and referred us to the district hospital. But after about three kilometres, they ran out of oxygen,” he said.
“My son passed away in my arms struggling to breathe. Had they administered oxygen from our village, we would have found out about the shortage, and I would have made sure we carried another cylinder from Bamhani hospital,” he added.
Videos of Ajeet’s distraught family members weeping in the district hospital have also surfaced online; one video shows him struggling to breathe in the ambulance while a family member speaks about the oxygen shortage.
Cabinet Minister for Public Health Engineering, Sampatiya Uikey, said that she has directed the district administration to investigate and take action against those found responsible for negligence.
“We have also sought a report from the district collector on the incident,” she said.
Ms. Uikey, however, maintained that health infrastructure and facilities had improved in both urban and rural regions under Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly and Congress MLA Umang Singhar slammed the BJP government over the incident and “Madhya Pradesh’s dilapidated health system”. He highlighted various recent incidents that raise questions about the State’s healthcare infrastructure.
“This is not just one death, but the brutal truth of Madhya Pradesh’s dilapidated health system. Innocents dying from toxic cough syrups, rats biting newborns in hospitals, newborns dying during delivery because ambulances did not arrive on time, and now a young man’s life lost due to oxygen shortage — these events have continuously raised serious questions about the State’s health services,” he wrote on X, demanding the resignation of Health Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla.
Mr. Dhote said, “We are considering the family’s charges and are probing the matter. Even though the victim had a chronic disease, it is a case of negligence if even one more minute of oxygen supply could have saved the patient. We will take strict action against those found responsible.”
Mandla Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) D. J. Mohanty said that an internal inquiry by the department has submitted its preliminary findings and that action will be taken based on the report.
An official in the district administration told The Hindu that the 108 services in the district comprise 43 ambulances, of which only 14 are equipped with oxygen.
“Of the 14, six ambulances were under repair until recently, and four have now resumed operations,” the official said, requesting anonymity.
With a population of 10.54 lakh (as per the 2011 census), Mandla has a ratio of approximately one ambulance for every 23,000 residents.
Published - July 31, 2026 06:14 pm IST
Source: The Hindu - India News
