The body of a 65-year-old man being shifted to mortuary in Kakinada on  Saturday (Photo | EPS)
The body of a 65-year-old man being shifted to mortuary in Kakinada on Saturday (Photo | EPS)

Maharashtra government issues SOP to handle COVID-19 victims' bodies

If the test result of the deceased confirmed that he or she was COVID-19 positive, then the dead body should not be handed over to the relatives.

MUMBAI: After dead body lying unattended at Sion Hospital controversy, Maharashtra government issued the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) asking hospitals not to mark on the dead bodies of COVID-19 positive patient and it should be kept in separate caskets.

Maharashtra Health Secretary Pradeep Vyas issued the order to all hospital asking this SOP strictly should be adhered to avoid any controversy.

The relatives of the deceased should not be allowed to do the final bath, hugging, kissing, giving water as part of ritual etc.

"After postmortem, the whole on the dead body should be filled with sodium hypochlorite and ensured that no liquid will come out from the body. The nose and mouth should be also closed down by inserting cotton balls. The relative of the deceased will be allowed to see the dead body but one-meter distance should be maintained," said Vyas.

The order further reads that the dead body should be packed in the leak-proof plastic bag.

"The outer part of the dead body’s plastic bag should be sanitized and covered in a mortuary sheet or cloth given by the deceased family members. The clothes and other items of the deceased that have been used by him should put in the biohazardous waste. The relative of the deceased should ask to control their emotion and not allow them to remain with body for a longer time," reads the order.

Vyas further said if the test result of the deceased confirmed that he or she was COVID-19 positive, then the dead body should not be handed over to the relatives.

"The body should be directly taken at the crematorium for final rites. The health workers who are handing this COVID-19 positive patient's dead body should use PPE kit and after handling this body, the kit should be kept in the red bag and given to bio disposal. In the hospital, some of the caskets should be reserved for the COVID-19 deceased person," Vyas added in his order.

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