Is BMC mishandling Covid-19 bodies?
CONTROVERSY Instances of “missing patients” found in morgue to bodies being cremated without telling kin surface
Allegations are being made that six bodies have gone missing from various hospitals of BMC till now. These bodies have not disappeared. The cases related to KEM, Nair, Sion, Jogeshwari trauma centre, Shatabdi hospitals are solved. Although, these incidents occurred mainly due to lack of contact with relatives or late contact with relatives. One should co-operate with health system, and facts should not be distorted
At a time when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is battling the daily rise in Covid-19 cases, it is mired in another controversy – mishandling of bodies of confirmed or suspected Covid-19 patients.
Recently, two patients went “missing” from the hospitals, only for the bodies to be found in the morgue in one case and on the railway tracks in the other. The body of a Covid suspect was handed over without waiting for the test result, while in another, a patient was cremated without informing his family. BMC on Wednesday said inquiries are being conducted in each complaint. In two instances, the civic body has also ordered probes against its staffers. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has blamed BMC for mismanagement.
The first case involved a 74-year-old Kalachowkie resident, who was admitted to KEM Hospital on May 14. The patient’s nephew said, “We got a call on May 19 that his condition was critical, and on May 20, we got a call that he was not present in the ward. On May 25, we even filed a police complaint. However, later on June 2, we got a call from the hospital saying there was some confusion and his body was in the hospital itself. We understand there is a shortage of staff, but something like this should not happen with anyone. In our case, it looks like a case of miscommunication among hospital staff, considering only the staff could have kept the body in the morgue.”
In another case reported by Hindustan Times on Wednesday, an 80-year-old Covid-19 patient admitted to Shatabdi Hospital was “missing” from the Covid ward for 12 hours. It was later discovered that the patient had died in a train accident at Borivli railway station on Monday. He was admitted to Shatabdi Hospital with severe body pain and vomiting on Saturday. His Covid-19 test results came positive on Sunday and he was shifted to a Covid ward. The hospital authorities could not explain to the family how the patient left the hospital when he was in a Covid ward.
Pramod Nagarkar, medical superintendent of Shatabdi Hospital, said, “I have instructed our assistant security officer to investigate the matter and take necessary disciplinary action against the security lapses. Also, I have asked them to strengthen the CCTV system, if required.”
In the third case, the body of a 62-year-old suspected Covid-19 victim was handed over to her kin by the civic-run Sion hospital without confirming if the woman was infected. The 62-year-old was admitted to the makeshift hospital at Bandra-kurla Complex (BKC) as a Covid suspect and later shifted to Sion hospital.
Last week, the Jogeshwari Trauma Hospital performed the last rites of a 41-year-old, terming the body unclaimed. The family complained that the hospital and police cremated the body without informing them. The police insisted that the family’s address was not found and the family claimed they were quarantined. When asked about the BKC and Shatabdi hospital incidents, municipal commissioner IS Chahal said, “Our IAS officer concerned is looking into the matter.”
BMC, on the other hand, issued a statement stating, “Allegations are being made that six bodies have gone missing from various hospitals of BMC till now. However, these bodies have not disappeared. The cases related to KEM, Nair, Sion, Jogeshwari trauma centre and Shatabdi hospitals have been solved. Although, these incidents occurred mainly due to lack of contact with relatives or late contact with relatives. In five out of six cases, the bodies have been identified, relatives have been informed or appropriate action has been taken along with the police administration as per the guidelines. An inquiry has been ordered by the administration into the Rajawadi hospital case and a separate explanation is being sent. One should co-operate with health system, and facts should not be distorted.”
Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar reacted to the incident on Wednesday saying: “There will be strict action against officials responsible for the negligence.” Earlier, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had said the state machinery was vigilant. “We are taking information on these incidents and it will soon be made public,” he said.
The BJP on Wednesday lodged a complaint at the BKC police station against the civic body. BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya, who is one of the complainants, said, “It is criminal to handle patients the way civic hospitals have been doing. How can patients go missing? We will be lodging complaints in all such cases. We will get justice for all such families.”
Meanwhile, Dr Siddarth Paliwal, a Mumbai-based health consultant with a private hospital, said, “The reason could be lack of manpower to monitor those admitted. In case of dead bodies going missing, there could be lack of communication among hospital staff. This is also because of the burden on the staff with many not reporting to duty. The staff strength has to be augmented to ensure there is no serious lapse in the future and to give timely rest to the existing staff.”
In a non-covid case, a body of 23-year-old man who was stabbed to death went missing from the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital. The civic body on Tuesday also announced an inquiry, the report of which will be out in five days. In the same case, the Tilak Nagar police have registered a case against an unknown medical officer and morgue in-charge of Rajawadi hospital.
Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner of BMC, said, “We have issued fresh instructions to all officers concerned about the process to handle, dispose of and upload information about Covid-19 deaths on the website in 48 hours after the death. There is exception in cases such as non-availability of relatives or where further medical examination is required…we have asked all staff members to be more vigilant, especially the staff of the mortuary.”
An 82-year-old woman from Bhusaval, who went missing from Jalgaon Civil Hospital on June 2, was found dead inside the toilet of the hospital on Wednesday morning.
The woman, who stayed with her daughter-in-law in Bhusaval, had tested positive for Covid-19 on May 27 and was first admitted to a railway hospital at Bhusaval by her nephew and relative. “Her daughter-in-law died two weeks ago due to the virus, while her son is still in quarantine at Nashik. After her condition deteriorated, she was shifted to Jalgaon Civil Hospital on June 1,” said Akbar Patel, inspector at Zillapeth police station.
“On June 2, she left her bed without informing the nurse or hospital staff. The family told us she was missing, after which we registered a missing person’s complaint on June 6. On Wednesday morning, a ward boy of JCH found her partially decomposed body inside the toilet. The family was informed and they identified her.”
The body was handed over to the local authority and the last rites were conducted in the presence of her grandson. In a video message, her distraught grandson has appealed to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to order a probe into the incident, reported IANS. Kishor Pawar, assistant police inspector at Zillapeth police, said: “We have filed an accidental death report and are questioning the hospital staff. We are also checking the footage obtained from the CCTV cameras on the hospital premises.”
Gulabrao Patil, guardian minister of Jalgaon, said the guilty will be punished. “I have complained about the incident to deputy chief minister [Ajit Pawar] and will also complain to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. The guilty will have to face action,” he said.