SKIMS UNDER FIRE AFTER DEAD PATIENT’S FAMILY ALLEGES ILL-TREATMENT

SRINAGAR: The management of Sher-i-kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS-SOURA) has come under sharp criticism over the way the body of 65-yearold woman who died of Covid-19 and her family were treated on Wednesday evening.

The family alleged they were made to wait for hours to take the body and were not provided any casket or help in the burial process. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media in which the family members are seen questioning the hospital authorities as to how they will be able to transport the body on an infirm and dirty stretcher.

“After following Sops and protocol and waiting for three hours, we were provided a half-broken dirty stretcher and no coffin. We were also told that no one will aid or guide the burial process and we should do it on our own,” said the deceased’s son Rameez Makhdoomi, a journalist.

The hospital administration said their mandate is to treat the patients and after any death the body is handed over to the district administration or health authorities so that the protocol is followed.

Hospital officials said it was a delay on the part of the district administration and the health authorities. “When the patient in question expired, the same was conveyed to the district administration and health authorities by control room SKIMS, nodal officer as well as medical superintendent. Delay in receiving a team from concerned officials created anxiety among the patient’s attendants,” said medical superintendent of SKIMS Dr Farooq Jan in a statement.

He said to tide over the crisis, SKIMS provided an ambulance in violation of established norms. “The attendants started demanding a coffin and four personnel for carrying out the burial which is nowhere in the protocol for handling Covid-19 bodies . The body has to be put in a designated bag Providing people for burial is not a mandate of SKIMS,” he said.