Patient’s body back in hosp after locals protest cremation

The staff had to return to the hospital with the deceased following the ruckus.

A The 53-year-old patient, an orthopaedic specialist at a popular chain of hospitals, was brought to the private hospital in Vanagaram for treatment on April 6 after he tested COVID positive on March 29 in Nellore. He died on Monday morning. Sources said that the victim’s wife had also tested positive and was being treated in their hometown while their 4-year-old son is now staying with relatives.

Police said that the doctor’s body was taken to the electric crematorium located a few meters away from the Ambattur police station around 3 pm in an ambulance. “Since the ambulance crew were wearing PPE, news spread in the locality that a COVID-19 patient was being cremated.

Soon, about 60 women from the neighbourhood gathered in front of the zonal office and protested against the cremation claiming that the zone had not reported any cases yet,” a police officer said. On information, Ambattur police, including Assistant Commissioner Kannan and Inspector Chidambara Murugesan held talks with the protesters and dispersed the crowd. The ambulance crew however took the body back.

Commenting on this, Health Secretary Dr Beela Rajesh said, “It’s a very sensitive issue and the guidelines to dispose of bodies of those who died of COVID have been given to government and private hospitals. The issue in Ambattur happened over coordination gap and no such incident has been reported so far.”

She added that the issue has been sorted and that they were going to reinforce protocol in all private hospitals regarding the same.