This story is from July 3, 2020

Karnataka spends up to Rs 25,000 for Covid victim’s last rites

From PPE kits to disinfectant and ambulance and JCB costs, the government is spending up to Rs 25,000 on the last rites of every patient who dies of Covid-19. Families are barred from touching the bodies of the infected and medical staff are required to prepare the body for burial or cremation, and carry out the last rites adhering to Covid protocol.
Karnataka spends up to Rs 25,000 for Covid victim’s last rites
According to officials, the major cost in a Covid victim’s last rites is of PPE suits
BELAGAVI: From PPE kits to disinfectant and ambulance and JCB costs, the government is spending up to Rs 25,000 on the last rites of every patient who dies of Covid-19. Families are barred from touching the bodies of the infected and medical staff are required to prepare the body for burial or cremation, and carry out the last rites adhering to Covid protocol.
On Thursday, the Covid-19 toll in the state stood at 272, with the addition of 19 deaths in 24 hours.
A total of 18,016 infections have been reported so far, of whom 9,406 patients are currently under treatment.
Director of Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) in Ballari, B Devanand, said it costs Rs 20,000 to Rs 22,000 to bury or cremate every Covid-19 victim — the latter costing less since the grave doesn’t have to be dug and prepared. “There are many components involved in the process — from disinfecting the body to carrying it till the burial ground,” said Devanand.
Burial is preferred option in K’taka
The body has to be sprayed with sodium hypochlorite solution, then packed using body bags. And there are other expenses at the burial site,” said Ashok Shetty, who heads the committee for disposal of bodies in Belagavi. In Bengaluru, BBMP spends Rs 20,000-Rs 25,000 on the last rites. “A six-member team in PPE suits takes the body in a special van. The body is wrapped in three layers of PPE material, which in itself costs nearly Rs 15,000,” a senior health official said.

The major cost, say authorities, is of PPE kits, fuel, JCB (earthmover) and labour. PPE kits cost Rs 1,200-Rs 1,500 in the wholesale market while JCB operators charge up to Rs 1,000 an hour to dig the grave, said Raichur deputy commissioner R Venkatesh. The total cost works out to nearly Rs 15,000 per patient in the district, he said.
Kalaburagi DC Sharath B said the district administration is spending Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 for the last rites of a Covid patient, adding that government D-group workers were being deployed to transport bodies. VIMS director Devanand added that transportation may have to be outsourced soon as government staff are increasingly reluctant to carry the bodies due to fear of infection.
In the districts, ambulance fuel costs also add up, authorities said. Recently, a patient who was brought dead to Raichur had to be taken to Yadgir, nearly 100km away.
Authorities said burial was by far the preferred option in the districts since most victims come from villages and have no access to a crematorium. Besides, families prefer a resting place at home for the departed. In Bengaluru and other cities, the body is taken to a crematorium unless families insist on a burial. “The driver and people handling the body are paid about Rs 5,000 since they are risking their lives,” said a senior health official. “In case of a burial, the pit must be 10 feet deep. JCB machines are used and graves are dug mostly on family members’ properties.”
(With inputs from Nithya Mandyam in Bengaluru)
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