JAMSHEDPUR, March 9 -- Yet again, a man had to carry his dead newborn baby in his hands -- this time in a cardboard box -- from the Chakradharpur sub-divisional hospital to his house in Bangrasai village under the Karaikela police station (PS) in Bandgaon Block of West Singhbhum district in Jharkhand. It was due to non-availability of an ambulance or Mamta Vahan at the said hospital, exposing the hollowness of the tall claims of the state health department, people aware of the matter said on Sunday. Ramkrishna Hembram, a resident of Bangrasai village, had admitted his pregnant wife Rita Tiria in the Chakradharpur sub-divisional hospital three days ago. She gave birth to a baby on Saturday but the newborn baby died shortly after. Hembram then carried the dead body of his newborn baby in a cardboard box to his house in Bangrasai village all the way from the Chakradharpur sub-divisional hospital, about 20 km. "The doctors didn't take proper care during delivery and the newborn baby after delivery due to which the baby died. After the death of my baby, health workers kept pressing us to remove the dead body of the baby constantly. We demanded an ambulance or any other vehicle from the hospital authorities for taking the dead body of my newborn baby back to our Village but they refused. Then, I put my baby in a leftover cardboard box in the hospital and left for my village," Hembram told the media on Sunday. The doctor in-charge of the Chakradharpur sub-divisional hospital, Dr Anshuman Sharma, however, denied the allegations and said that neither Ramkrishna Hembram nor any other person from the patient party requested him for ambulance. "Neither the father of the dead newborn baby nor any other from his family requested me or any authority of the hospital for ambulance. Had they approached us, we would have surely arranged an ambulance for them," Dr Sharma said. The West Singhbhum civil surgeon could not be contacted as the post of the civil surgeon in West Singhbhum district has been lying vacant because the state health department has not posted anyone on the post as of now. The outgoing civil surgeon Dr Bharti Goreti Minz had retired from service on February 28 and the post has been lying vacant for the past eight days. This was, however, not any isolated or first-time incident. On December 19, another tribal man Dimba Chatomba had to carry the dead body of his 4-month-old son in a plastic carry bag for 70 km from the Chaibasa Sadar Hospital (CSH) to his house in Bara Baljori village under the Noamundi Block. This was also because of the non-availability of an ambulance or hearse (Moksha Vahan) vehicle at the CSH. This is despite the state government spending Rs 5 crore per month on free 108 ambulance service. At that time, the Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren had taken cognizance of the matter and ordered the state health minister Dr Irfan Ansari to take action. Subsequently, Ansari had ordered procurement of four mortuary (hearse) vehicles for each of the district sadar hospitals in the state for Rs 15 crore. But it is still to take off the ground....