State health department formed a four-member probe panel after a woman in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara died inside an EMRIGHS-operated ambulance — the doors of which jammed — Sunday. By the time the woman was extracted from the ambulance by shattering the glass window and taken to the district hospital, she had died.
The woman had allegedly tried to hang herself at home. Her kin said she was discovered on time and was being taken to the hospital but valuable time was wasted because of the ambulance’s jammed doors, which remained stuck for over 15 minutes. The family also alleged that the ambulance had no oxygen facility and its staff was unfamiliar with the hospital route, causing additional delays. The woman was declared “brought dead” at the district hospital. “We have formed a committee to investigate the matter and asked it to submit a report soon,” Bhilwara chief medical and health officer Dr CP Goswami said.
EMRIGHS denied that the woman’s death was caused by the ambulance’s malfunctioning doors. “The patient exhibited no vital signs upon entering the ambulance. We possess documentary evidence substantiating this,” EMRIGH claimed, adding that their report indicates the door functioned properly but malfunctioned at the hospital due to multiple simultaneous opening attempts. EMRIGHS said its investigation revealed that the ambulance received an emergency call at 9.51am on Jan 19. It arrived at MG Hospital at 10.13am. “This evidence contradicts claims about route unfamiliarity. The organisation confirmed oxygen provision during transit, with cylinders filled on Jan 8, 2025,” EMRIGHS claimed.
