CHENNAI: Octogenarian John Wesley’s family knew he had died of Covid. A private hospital had told them he had contracted the infection. Still, staff members at a government hospital, where he died, refused to accept the fact. They wrapped his body in a sheet and “forcibly” handed it over to his family.
Two days after he was dead and buried, Corporation officials came knocking at his house, to officially declare he, indeed, had the viral infection. The family members are now a worried lot. Not just because they could have caught the infection, but also because the burial ground worker could have been infected as a consequence of the hospital staffs’ actions.
John, an 85-year-old resident of Tiruvottiyur, fell ill on May 27. While he was at hospital, his son Rajesh decided it was better to get a Covid test done for John. “We kept calling the Corporation officials. They responded only after five days,” says Rajesh. Then the test said John was negative.
As he was cleared for Covid, John was taken to the Aakash multi-specialty hospital in the city. Here, a scan indicated that he had Covid. The family immediately tried to admit him to a private hospital, but no beds were available. Later, John was taken to SIMS Hospital. “They advised us there to take him to a government hospital.”
“All government hospitals were fully booked,” claims Rajesh. “Finally, on June 5, we took the help of a friend to get into Stanley Hospital. Though his pulse was low, he spoke with us well,” says Rajesh. “The next morning a few policemen came home and asked us to get to the hospital. That’s when we realised he had passed away.”
Trouble with hospital staff
It was after the death that the problem began. While the hospital authorities allegedly wanted the patient’s body to be taken back by the family, the latter insisted that they follow all Covid procedures. “The forcibly handed over the body to us, wrapped in bed sheets,” claims Rajesh. “Left with no other options, we had to bring him home for final rites.”
The body was cremated with the help of a local ‘vettiyan’. On Monday, after all the commotion was over, the corporation added Wesley’s name to Covid casualty, sparking outrage and anger among his family and friends. The house and the nearby buildings have to be sanitised, says Rajesh. “We have informed the officials but none have come or done anything.”
A Ravi, the nodal officer for Covid treatment at Stanley denies handing over the body to the patient’s family. “We did not hand over any patient’s body to the family. Body of positive patients is only given to the Corporation. Only if swab test is negative, we give it to the family,” he claimed. Chennai Corporation officials claimed they received information that he was COVID-positive only on Monday.
(With inputs from Nirupama Viswanthan and M D Omjaswin)