Meghalaya seeks reports after 3-year-old dies while being taken for medical help

The West Khasi Hills district administration has sought detailed reports from health, development and road authorities following the death of a three-year-old child from Domkyrkoh village while being taken for medical assistance.

The administration has asked the Block Development Officer, Rambrai Block, the District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO), West Khasi Hills, and the Executive Engineer, PWD (Roads), to submit reports on the circumstances surrounding the incident and the healthcare, transport and road connectivity challenges in the area.

The child reportedly fell critically ill at Domkyrkoh and died while being taken for medical help. Villagers had earlier claimed that the family was forced to travel on foot after vehicles were reportedly unwilling to enter the village because of the poor road condition.

According to preliminary information available with the administration, Domkyrkoh falls under the healthcare coverage area of the Mawkhiat Sub-Centre, a functional PM-ABHIM Sub-Centre that has been operational for about a year. The facility is located around one-and-a-half hours away from the village on foot and comes under Rambrai Primary Health Centre.

The administration said a transport arrangement under the Chief Minister’s Safe Motherhood Scheme (CMSMS) is available in the region for emergency patient transfers. However, preliminary findings indicate that local health workers were not informed about the child's condition before or during the onset of the illness, and the emergency transport mechanism could therefore not be activated at that stage.

The incident has also brought the area's poor road connectivity into focus. Vehicular access to Domkyrkoh is through Mainop village, while the road reportedly becomes non-motorable during heavy rainfall and adverse weather. Public transport in the area is also limited.

Villagers said the child's parents had spent the night trying to arrange a vehicle after his condition deteriorated. With no vehicle available, they reportedly began walking towards Mawdet the following morning, carrying the child. The family had walked for nearly three hours when the child died, according to villagers.

Videos purportedly showing the family carrying the child have also surfaced on social media.

The administration said a 10-km road project connecting the 4th kilometre of the Rambrai-Mawrok PMGSY Road to Nonglang via Domkyrkoh has already been sanctioned under the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF). The Phase-I project is expected to provide direct connectivity to Domkyrkoh and improve access to the wider Mawdet area and adjoining villages.

The road project, which has been sanctioned at a cost of around Rs 25 crore, is intended to improve all-weather connectivity and access to healthcare, emergency services and other essential facilities in the remote area.

A multi-disciplinary team from the Health Department will visit Domkyrkoh on October 6 to assess the healthcare needs of residents and examine the difficulties faced by the community in accessing medical services and emergency transportation.

Further field visits will be carried out over the following days, with health and administrative teams expected to submit detailed reports on healthcare requirements, transport facilities, road accessibility and emergency response mechanisms.

The findings will be used to determine immediate measures to improve healthcare access and emergency response in the area. The PWD (Roads) will also take necessary steps towards the execution of the sanctioned CRIF road project.

The district administration has expressed concern over the child's death and said it would monitor the situation and take further measures based on the departmental reports and field assessment.