Ambulance delay sparks criticism after tribal woman’s death at King George Hospital

The delay in providing an ambulance to shift the body of a tribal woman, who died at King George Hospital (KGH), led to criticism of staff apathy and an alleged shortage of ambulances. However, the hospital’s Superintendent, Dr. I. Vani, denied the allegations.

K. Ratna Kumar (34), wife of Ramesh, fell from a tree and sustained a severe head injury at Beeram village in G. Madugula mandal of ASR district. She was shifted to KGH, where she died while undergoing treatment in the early hours of Thursday (3:30 a.m., January 15, 2026). Upon receiving the information, the police reached the hospital in the afternoon, but the inquest was not conducted as it was a holiday on account of Sankranti.

The ‘shava panchanama’ was conducted on Friday morning (January 16) and the post-mortem was conducted later in the day and the body was handed over to the family members.

However, the family alleged that Ramesh had to run from pillar to post to arrange an ambulance. It takes around six hours to reach the victim’s hamlet in G. Madugula mandal. Private ambulances charge between ₹15,000 and ₹20,000 for transporting the body during festival time. The family said this was a huge amount for them as a tribal household.

The tribal people sought an increase in the availability of ambulances at KGH to meet the needs of poor people from Agency areas and far flung places. They also sought that the government should extend financial aid to the victim’s family.

Dr. I Vani, KGH Superintendent, clarified that the woman, died while undergoing treatment in the neuro surgery ward. As it was a medico-legal case, it was mandatory for the police to conduct an inquest. The post-mortem was conducted today (Friday afternoon).

The ‘Tribal Cell’ in KGH has a dedicated ambulance. Unfortunately, there was an issue with its battery due to which there was a delay of about an hour. The body was shifted in the ambulance of the Tribal Cell and reached the victim’s village this evening. “It is unfortunate that rumours were being spread on social media that there is shortage of ambulances,” Dr. Vani added.