Bhadrak: 14-Year-Old Girl Pedals 35 Km to Get Injured Father to Hospital

Bhadrak: A 14-year-old girl from Nadigan village in Odisha’s Bhadrak district displayed remarkable determination on October 23 when she pedalled a trolley rickshaw for 35 kilometers to rush her injured father to the district headquarters hospital (DHH).

The girl, Sujata Sethi, pedalled the trolley all the way from her village to Bhadrak town, despite not having any money to hire a private vehicle or access to a mobile phone to call for an ambulance. Sambhunath, Sujata’s father, had sustained injuries in a group clash on October 22 and was initially taken to the Dhamnagar hospital, which is located approximately 14 kilometres from their village. However, doctors at the Dhamnagar hospital advised Sujata to transfer her father to Bhadrak DHH for further treatment.

Without any other options, Sujata used her father’s trolley to transport him the remaining 35 kilometres to Bhadrak. Upon reaching Bhadrak DHH, doctors recommended an operation for Sambhunath, which is scheduled for a week later. Sujata expressed her lack of resources for alternative transportation, stating, “I neither have money to hire a private vehicle nor a mobile phone to call the ambulance. So, I used my father’s trolley to bring him (Sambhunath) to the hospital.”

The news of Sujata’s heroic act quickly spread, prompting Bhadrak MLA Sanjib Mallick and former Dhamnagar MLA Rajendra Das to offer their assistance. Chief District Medical Officer Santanu Patra clarified that there is no provision for ambulance services to return patients home, and Sambhunath will remain in the hospital until the completion of his treatment.