Fact Check: National Media Misreported On AP?

There are certain times when even national media channels go for sensationalism and catchy headlines in order to gain traction. A similar case is reported now as a leading channel misreported a sensitive incident in Andhra Pradesh. 

In this national media channel report, it is established that an elderly woman was taken to a government hospital on a garbage cart due to the unavailability of ambulance. 

But it was quickly fact checked that this incident was completely misreported by the national media channel. 

The media reports circulating that a woman’s body, who died at the Bhadragiri Community Health Centre in Parvathipuram Manyam district due to the lack of ambulance facilities, was transported to the cremation ground in a garbage cart are far from the truth. 

Going into the story, Radhamma, a 65-year-old woman suffering from diabetes and hypertension, had not taken her medications for a long time, leading to a severe health crisis, after which she was shifted to the hospital. 

Despite providing appropriate medical care, she passed away on Friday. Although the staff stepped forward to arrange an ambulance to transport the body to their home, which is just one kilometer away, Radhamma’s brother, unable to wait, took the body in his three-wheeler vehicle and left. 

That vehicle is not a garbage cart. It is a goods transport vehicle. All these facts are known even to local journalists. There was no negligence in providing medical assistance or in the subsequent procedures. However, unfortunately, this incident has been distorted in various media outlets. 

Perhaps more sensibility and better understanding is expected from national media channels while reporting such sensitive topics.