Infrastructure Stretched, Covid Patients Do Not Get Dignity In Death
By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2021-04-16 05:47:40
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In times of the pandemic, people do not get dignity even in death. The report that five bodies were cremated in a single makeshift prye in Surat was disturbing. Ever since the pandemic started in February 2019, people who died due to the virus have been hurriedly cremated or buried in designated places with even next of kin not allowed to perform the last rites. Initially, the bodies were not even shown to them but later, after a lot of uproar, administrations allowed a glimpse before taking them away. In certain areas, the locals even objected to designating crematoriums or burial grounds for Covid patients. There were also reports of the bodies being handled improperly (some were dragged by tying a rope to the foot). Now there are reports that bodies are piling up at crematoriums and burial grounds all over the country and it takes 10 to 12 hours in some places before they are put to peace.
Although this is not very surprising given that infrastructure exists only for normal deaths. Further, this is also not exclusive to India. Brazil and many European countries have also suffered from a glut of bodies of Covid patients that had to be kept lying for hours before they could be buried. But the dead deserve dignity and administrations in India should apply their minds to get over this crisis in a manner that does not take that away. Since the death toll is increasing every day and is likely to keep on increasing in the near future, temporary crematoriums and burial grounds must be made in some cities where death tolls are particularly high. Also, proper body disposal SOPs must be issued to prevent mishandling of bodies. The pandemic has stretched resources but a way must be found to accord dignity to the dead.
