Dead Bodies left ‘unattended’ beside patients in Covid ward at Tamil Nadu’s Salem Hospital

A four-minute video surfaced showing how bodies of Covid-19 victims at Salem Government Hospital were left in the ward for an extended period alongside other patients.

The video has been shot and circulated on social media by some of the patients’ kin in the hospital. Video shows how patients are agitated due to the unhygienic condition inside the Covid-19 ward and unclean toilets. Patients are complaining that the toilets are not cleaned even once a day.

The patients alleged that the dead bodies were not shifted from the Covid ward even 7 hours after the death.

According to the video the dead bodies of two Covid-19 patients, who succumbed to the infection, were not shifted out of the ward. The patient admitted in the male ward passed away around 10: 30 am on Tuesday and his body was not shifted to the mortuary till 5 pm in the evening that is after 7 hours. Similarly, another woman who died due to Covid-19 infection, was also left unattended and her body was shifted late in the evening.

 The patients have shared their ordeal in the video and they say they are scared even to enter the Covid ward and age-old patients are even scared of seeing what transpired inside the ward. The patients also complain they are not given proper food inside the ward and mostly it is inedible.

 Speaking with The Daily Guardian, Salem Government Hospital Dean Balajinathan confirmed that there was a delay in shifting the body from the ward but it was not as alleged by the patients in the video.

Dean stated that three patients passed away in the ward and “Rapid Response Team” which is responsible for shifting the body was clearing the body of another patient and it minimum takes 45 mins to one hour to properly dispose of a body and as it was the time of shift change there was a delay of another one and half hours.

 The dean also stated that the attendees of both patients couldn’t be reached to inform about the demise. He, however, added that a formal inquiry has already been ordered into the incident and proper action will be taken based on the report of the inquiry.

In Salem district, 11,475 Covid-19 has been reported, 7727 have been discharged and 3599 are getting treated as active cases. 156 people have succumbed to the infection so far.