After losing a dear one, a long wait for funeral

After losing a dear one, a long wait for funeral

Paras.Singh@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:02.05.2021 

The tattered infrastructure has robbed even the dead of dignity, with the last journey of those claimed by Covid-19 filled with humiliation. Chandan Kumar knows it only too well. It took him four days and daily visits to get his uncle’s body from AIIMS to the Green Park cremation ground. “From morning to evening, we were made to sit in the mortuary at AIIMS. We were told the body would be released but nothing happened. I hope no one else suffers the misery that I have gone through,” said the distraught Kumar.

Poor coordination between cremation facilities and the linked hospitals is putting the kin of corona victims to much suffering. Families complain of the final rites being delayed by 3-4 days. They pointed out that arranging private vehicles to carry the body of their relative to the crematoriums is of little use, with funeral facility management often not allowing them entry, citing official regulations. Yet, the hospitals are unable to provide hearses or ambulances to ferry the bodies.

Raj Kumar’s wife passed away in AIIMS Trauma Centre, but he couldn’t get the body cremated for three days. “We are told to come the following day every time we went to get the body,” said Raj Kumar. “There is no system for releasing bodies for cremation.” Similarly, a man said he was able to get his brother’s body only three days after his death on April 26. He alleged, “The poor are being made to suffer because we saw other bodies being released. I was told the hearse had time slots at 8am, 12 noon and 3pm, but people with people get preference.”

The shortage of hearse vans is a big factor behind the slowness in releasing bodies by hospitals. Chandan Kumar said hospitals suggest the use of private hearses. “But if people transport the body in a private van, the Green Park crematorium staff inform us that bodies arriving in such vehicles will not be accepted,” he revealed. “They only cremate bodies coming in government or hospital vehicles. We approached the police, but got no redress.”

Several such complaints about the conflict in rules have surfaced now. An official at the Green Park facility admitted that the district authorities had indeed ordered acceptance of bodies brought only by hospital ambulances or hearses. A municipal official explained. “This year, the daily toll is very high. Each hospital is linked with a cremation ground and the bodies released for cremation regulated to prevent overcrowding at any particular site. That is why private vehicles are not allowed.”

Coordination between cremation facilities & the linked hospitals is poor, which is putting kin of Covid-19 victims to a lot of suffering