■ Agonising wait for kin to arrange last ride for victims
It is a wait that no one would want to endure. The relatives of people who succumb to COVID-19 are forced to wait for long hours to get last-ride vehicles from government hospitals in the city. The Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) has opened a counter to book last-ride vehicles.
Many families have been choosing to give the bodies to the mortuary to avoid further infection. Others opt to give their family members a cremation.
“As there is a fear of infection due to COVID-19, we did not want to take the body home but to the cremation ground directly. There are restrictions on funeral ceremonies also. So, we are waiting for a vehicle to take the body to the cremation ground,” said the kin of a person who dies at RGGGH.
It is a common sight to see people wait endlessly on the hospital premises, waiting for a lat-ride vehicle or finding ways to arrange one on their own.
“The deaths are increasing and we are witnessing it every day. Some families wait from morning to evening for the vehicles to take the body home. Many are scared and they give it to the mortuary and then we take it there,” said a healthcare worker from the mortuary at the hospital.
RGGGH authorities said the last-ride counter was opened to ensure the availability of vehicles to take the deceased as many people were finding it difficult to arrange it. This is especially so because more number of COVID deaths are being reported. RGGGH dean Dr E Theranirajan said the family members who struggled to find a vehicle would be able to access these through the hospital and the allotment was being done through tokens.