CUTTACK: In what raises serious questions on management of Covid-19 at the SCB Medical College and Hospital (MCH), bodies are left unattended at the isolation ward of the premier hospital for more than two days, not only exposing others to grave risk but also leading to resentment among the bereaved family members.
The civic body officials have been accused of leaving at least two to three bodies at the ward before shifting them to the crematorium, instead of sending them for funeral immediately.
On Thursday, family members of a deceased patient created a ruckus in the Isolation Ward as the body was left unattended there for more than 45 hours. They insisted on taking the body for cremation.
“For the last two days, we have not taken food. As per the Hindu custom, we can observe the ‘Tiktya’ ritual only after cremation of the body. How long can we wait for the cremation of our relative’s body?” questioned a family member.
Protesting the inordinate delay in shifting and cremation of the body, the family members met SCBMCH Administrative Officer Kalpataru Behera and insisted on allowing them to take the body for cremation. The issue was resolved after Behera intervened and the body was cremated by Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) staff. While SCBMCH Corona Nodal Officer Manoranjan Patnaik said it is CMC’s duty to shift bodies for funeral from the isolation ward, City Health Officer Satyabrat Mohapatra clarified that there has been no delay in shifting the body.
He informed that the highest of 24 bodies were shifted from different hospitals for cremation by CMC staff on Thursday. “We have to upload information about the deceased persons to the SCB MCH information portal after compliance with the ICMR portal. We can shift the body after verifying the documents and obtaining a consent letter from the relatives of the deceased patients,” said Mohapatra. He further said at least one and half hours is required to shift a body from the SCB Isolation Ward. “It takes time to place the body in a zipper bag and bring it from the fourth floor of the building to the hearse van”, he informed.
As per the SOP issued by SCBMCH, irrespective of Covid and non-Covid cases, bodies of the patients succumbing at the Isolation Ward are being cremated or buried adhering to Covid funeral protocols. While more than 300 patients are under treatment at Isolation Ward, over 50 deaths have been reported from the facility within the last five days.