Why these taxi drivers stormed a hospital and took a dead baby
There was a special reason behind a large group of taxi drivers swarming a hospital in Indonesia.
Motorbike taxi workers barged their way into Muhammad Djamil Hospital in Padang, on the island of Sumatra, in Indonesia this week to claim the body of a six-month-old baby, ABC News reported.
They were under the impression the baby was being held by the hospital because his family had yet to come up with money to cover medical bills incurred during his treatment.
The child was being treated for infected lymph nodes before his death, a process that reportedly racked up a bill of 25 million rupiahs, the equivalent of $A2,500.
The rumoured withholding of the infant’s body subsequently sparked outrage, particularly among the local religious majority, who believe burials need to take place within a day of someone’s death.
One of the drivers involved in the hospital ambush told local news outlet, Kompas, the baby was the child of another rider.
“We decided to do something gutsy and take the child to bring him to the morgue ourselves,” the employee said.
Footage of the incredible event reportedly showed a man leaving the hospital with the tiny body cradled in his arms.
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The drivers were apparently raising money to have the baby released from hospital, using their modest monthly earnings of between $A300 and $A400.
The little boy’s mum told Indonesian news site Detik she was unaware the group of taxi workers were planning on storming the hospital.
The establishment reportedly called police on the drivers initially, but later apologised to the boy’s family and told them they would not have to pay the bill.
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