Mothers and infants from Palaayapatti in Thanjavur district were reportedly taken to Thanjavur Raja Mirasudar Government Hospital in a poorly maintained government medical vehicle, with passengers alleging inadequate seating, limited ventilation and doors tied shut with ropes.
The incident occurred in connection with the Thaimaaman Thanga Modhiram scheme, according to a report by Dinamalar. The women and children were transported from the Palaayapatti upgraded primary health centre to the government hospital in Thanjavur in a mobile medical vehicle belonging to the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
The vehicle was reportedly rusted and in a condition that raised concerns about its roadworthiness. Its doors had allegedly been secured with ropes, while the vehicle did not have enough seats for the passengers. Plastic chairs were placed inside so that the mothers and children could sit during the journey.
The passengers told Dinamalar that 20 mothers travelled with their children for about 30 km in the vehicle. They said the lack of adequate ventilation caused the children to cry during the journey and that the mothers travelled in fear because of the condition of the vehicle.
The reported conditions raise an immediate public-safety concern because the passengers included infants and mothers being moved for a government-linked healthcare programme. The account also points to a basic administrative problem: the health facility had to use a vehicle that passengers described as unsuitable because another vehicle was not available.
Hospital officials, as quoted by Dinamalar, said the women had been taken in the department-owned vehicle because no alternative vehicle was available. The officials said the district administration and the health department had not provided separate vehicles for such events and that senior officials had been informed about the issue.
The report does not include a statement from the district administration or a detailed response from senior health authorities on the vehicle’s maintenance records, safety inspection status or whether the transport arrangement complied with departmental requirements. It also does not establish whether any passenger or child suffered a medical injury during the journey.
The immediate administrative issue now is whether a safe replacement vehicle will be provided for similar programme-related travel and whether the reported vehicle will be inspected before it is used again. Further action depends on the response from the district administration and the health department, which hospital officials said had been notified.