70-year-old pushes ailing wife 600 km in cycle rickshaw

In a heart-rending incident exposing gaps in rural healthcare access, a 70-year-old man from a remote village in Odisha’s Kandhamal district travelled nearly 600 km on a cycle rickshaw to take his ailing wife to a hospital, as he could not afford an ambulance.
According to sources, the elderly man placed his sick wife on a cycle rickshaw and pushed it all the way to Cuttack to seek medical treatment. After ensuring she received care, he undertook the return journey to his village in the same manner. The exhausting trip, spread over several days, was completed entirely on foot while pushing the rickshaw along highways and interior roads.
“I don’t have any money. This is the only way I know to save my wife,” the man reportedly told locals who enquired about his ordeal.
The incident came to public attention after videos and photographs of the journey went viral on social media, triggering widespread condemnation and renewed debate over the availability of emergency medical services in remote areas.
Taking note of the public outcry, the Odisha Health Department has initiated an inquiry into the incident. Officials said the circumstances that led to the non-availability of ambulance services would be examined and corrective measures taken to prevent similar incidents in future.