A video showing at least four bodies wrapped in black plastic lying on beds next to Covid-19 patients undergoing treatment at the LTMG Hospital at Sion in north-central Mumbai went viral on Thursday. An acutely embarrassed Birhanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) ordered an enquiry into the shocking incident.
Within hours after BJP MLA Nitesh Rane posted on his twitter handle a chilling video that showed at least four bodies wrapped in black plastic lying on beds next to Covid-19 patients undergoing treatment at the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General (LTMG) Hospital at Sion, a major political controversy broke out in the metropolis, with the Opposition BJP slamming the BMC and demanding an enquiry into the incident.
“Sion Hospital incident is extremely serious and shocking. Patients who are being treated are lying beside dead bodies. This is utterly inhuman. Is there no one to care for Mumbai? Government must immediately look into this & ensure that it doesn’t happen ever again!,” former Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis tweeted.
Taking a serious view of the incident, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar personally visited the BMC-run LTMG Hospital, held discussions with Dr Pramod Ingale, Dean of the LTMG Hospital, and ordered an enquiry into the incident.
Dr Ingale said that the inquiry ordered by the Mayor would be completed within 24 hours.
“A video clip showing dead bodies being kept on the trolleys in a ward of Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital where other patients are being treated is circulating on media. To understand the reality and confirmation of the facts, an inquiry committee has been constituted. Committee members have been instructed to submit the report within 24 hrs. Depending on the report, disciplinary action will be taken against the guilty,” a statement issued by the hospital said.
Ironically enough, the LTMG Hospital authorities admitted themselves that there is already a guideline that the body of a deceased Covid-19 patient should be handed over to its family.
“In view of guidelines of Government of Maharashtra, a circular was issued u/no. LTH/108/Dean (L) dtd. 2.5.2020 which stated that a dead body should be handed over to patient’s relative within 30 minutes of death in the suspect Covid and Covid positive wards. But it is found that many a times relatives are not available to hand over the body or they are not willing,” the LTMG Hospital said in its statement.
However, the hospital added: “Relatives do not respond even after frequent phone calls. In this situation hospital administration informs concerned police station and sometimes even to Disaster Control Room of the BMC. Then such body is shifted to mortuary after completing all the procedures. To avoid such type of incidents the hospital administration is taking all the precautions and all the concerned have been instructed accordingly”.