Bhopal:
In a city that prides itself on being India’s cleanest, the stench of grief now hangs heavy over Bhagirathpura. Official records say 21 people have died in the diarrhea outbreak linked to contaminated water. Locals insist the number of dead is 35. Between those numbers lies the story of two-year-old Siya Prajapati, lovingly called Laddu, and a government health card that was activated two days after she died.
On Tuesday morning, about six hours after she was put on ventilator support at the Super Specialty Hospital in Indore, Laddu’s small body gave up. For 15 days, her parents had carried her from one government hospital to another – Chacha Nehru Hospital, MY Hospital, and finally the Super Specialty wing chasing doctors, reports, referrals and hope. They were also chasing the activation of their Ayushman card.
Two days after her funeral, the call came that the Ayushman card had been successfully reactivated.
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