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This is an archive article published on April 23, 2021
Madhya Pradesh: Body falls out of ambulance in Vidisha district
The ambulance was carrying bodies of Covid patients for cremation as the district administration is not handing over these bodies to the families for the last rites.
2 min read
Many families whose members died at Vidisha Medical College but tested negative for COVID demanded that they be given the bodies back but were refused by the administration. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal/Representational)
An ambulance in Vidisha district dropped a Covid patient’s body on the road after exiting a dedicated Covid-19 hospital, with a video of the incident being circulated on social media.
The incident took place on Friday morning as the ambulance, carrying bodies for cremation as per Covid-19 protocols, was exiting the Vidisha Medical College.
Authorities at the under-construction medical college, which was converted into the district’s only dedicated Covid-19 hospital, were refusing to hand over the bodies of the deceased to the families. Relatives gheraoing the hospital on Friday morning, resulting in district officials rushing to the site to control the situation.
It was at this point that the ambulance left the hospital and dropped the body.
Vidisha Medical College dean Sunil Nandeshwar told The Indian Express, “The incident occurred this morning when the hospital staff were trying to cremate the deceased. The ambulance was old and was donated by an NGO and the door broke, leading to the situation.”
On the decision to not hand over bodies to the families, Vidisha Collector Pankaj Jain said, “A dedicated Covid hospital is a micro containment centre and we are cremating all those who are dying at the hospital as per Covid protocols.”
Nandeshwar said families who request to meet their loved ones one the last time are allowed inside with PPE kits and N-95 masks for a short period of time.
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