Etah: Isolated by illness, child accompanies dead mother in hospital
A tragic case of isolation and indifference in Uttar Pradesh becomes a national issue. Boy cares for 52-year-old mother and, after her death, accompanies her to a post-mortem facility. After his father died of HIV/AIDS, and his mother contracted tuberculosis, the community abandoned them. The boy, who dropped out of school to care for his mother, fears being killed by relatives over his land.
Delhi (AsiaNews) – Stigma, social exclusion, personal indifference, and the failure of support systems for families affected by HIV and tuberculosis (TB) are once again the focus of national attention in India.
This became headlines news after a 10-year-old boy was left alone to watch over his mother's body when it was taken to the post-mortem facility.
The tragic situation unfolded after the 52-year-old woman died on 14 January while being treated for HIV and TB at a government hospital in Etah District, Uttar Pradesh.
With no relatives or neighbours coming forward to help, the teary-eyed child accompanied his mother's body the day after her death to the morgue for the autopsy assisted only by medical staff.
Photographs of the child sitting on the floor next to his mother's body for hours went viral, sparking widespread anguish and condemnation.
Local police arrived at the hospital after it was alerted to the situation and later helped arrange the autopsy and last rites.
The woman had been admitted to Veerangana Avanti Bai Medical College in Etah.
The child's father died last year from HIV/AIDS, a disease that still carries a stigma, which reportedly led to the family becoming socially ostracised by the rest of the community.
The child told local media that people stopped talking to them after his father's illness came to light, forcing him to drop out of school to care for his mother, who was also ill.
“I looked after mummy. She was treated in Etah and also taken to Kanpur and Lohia Hospital in Farrukhabad. My uncle didn’t even know she had died,” the boy was quoted as saying.
District health officials confirmed the case and said the woman had completed tuberculosis treatment in 2017, after which she reportedly received all available care.
“She was cured and discharged. At that time, we gave her all the benefits that the government provides," said Etah chief medical officer Dr Rajendra Prasad. “We are now reviewing the present situation.”
Police said the child refused to leave his mother's body until the authorities arrived.
“We were informed that a child was alone with the body. I sent a sub-inspector and a constable to the spot. The boy had no one, so we arranged for her last rites,” said Jaithra Station House Officer Ritesh Kumar.
Later, distant relatives from Kasganj, about 60 kilometres away, arrived at the morgue, after which the autopsy was completed.
Meanwhile, the child said he feared for his life, claiming that some relatives were threatening him in order to take his land. He also said that, despite knowing about his mother's illness, none of his relatives offered any support to the family.
Experts and activists note how this incident highlights deep undercurrents of social stigma associated with diseases like HIV/AIDS, which persist despite decades of public health awareness campaigns, evidence that prejudice still exists in rural communities.
Government programmes exist to support HIV/AIDS and TB patients, including free treatment and nutritional assistance, but social discrimination continues to isolate families and erode informal support and neighbourhood networks.
While the Uttar Pradesh government issued guidelines in the past to make post-mortems more efficient and less burdensome for grieving families, critics argue that such procedural reforms are no substitute for community engagement, destigmatisation campaigns, and stronger social safety nets that ensure no child is left alone with grief and responsibility.
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19/08/2020 15:34
13/06/2018 11:56
