Parents of a 13-year-old boy, who had fractured his left hand and leg, had to take him on a hand cart to hospital in Jharkhand and bring him back home in the same after failing to get an ambulance.

The parents also alleged the health centre authorities did not provide them with an ambulance.

According to reports, Samay, son of Tanu Namata, a contract labourer and a resident of Kuldiha village in Baharagora of East Singbhum district, fractured his left hand and leg on Wednesday evening after he fell from a tree while plucking mangoes.

After spending the night writhing in pain, Samay’s parents took him to a nearby private clinic where the doctor plastered his hand and leg and gave some painkillers. He also suggested that Samay be taken for X-ray and treatment to a better health centre.

“We tried to arrange for an ambulance to reach the community health centre in Baharagora but failed to get one. So we hired a hand cart owned by a villager for Rs 100 and took him to the health centre which is nearly 4km from our village,” said Namata.

The parents reached the hospital on Thursday afternoon and after the X-ray was done, they returned on the same hand cart to the village.

“We asked the health centre staff about an ambulance but they showed no interest. Since we had hired the hand cart, we brought our son back on it to our house,” said Namata.

Several attempts to contact Baharagora community health centre in-charge Dr O.P. Choudhary on his mobile number proved futile.

East Singhbhum civil surgeon Dr A.K. Lal termed it as an “unfortunate” incident.

“It is an unfortunate incident. The community health centre staff should have arranged an ambulance for the boy after he had undergone X-ray and especially with his condition. I have sent a showcause notice to the hospital in-charge over the incident,” said Lal.

He claimed that there is no shortage of ambulances in any of the blocks.