(Dan Tri) – Families in Tamil Nadu state, India were `shocked` when the hospital asked them to go into the morgue to find their loved ones among the bodies lying jammed and scattered on the floor.
The body wrapped in a plastic bag lies in the morgue of Theni K Vilakku hospital (Photo: Independent).
Independent reported that the incident occurred on June 1 at Theni K Vilakku hospital, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Hospital representative, Mr. Balaji Nathan, confirmed the incident to Independent and said the medical facility `regrets and apologizes for the incident`.
Images of bodies lying on the morgue floor waiting for relatives to classify them have spread at breakneck speed on social networks, with many opinions criticizing the hospital’s approach.
In addition, according to Independent, family members entering the morgue to find relatives only wore masks without wearing protective gear or any other protective measures, which is against the regulations of the Indian Ministry of Health.
Mr. Nathan said that normally only one employee is allowed inside to search for bodies.
`It’s a pity that two morgue staff and a security guard allowed family members into that room. The room area is very small,` Mr. Nathan said.
An investigation conducted later concluded that the three employees had committed an error.
The second wave of Covid-19 infections in India has slowed down after a fierce outbreak last month, when there were days when the South Asian country had up to 400,000 new cases and over 4,000 deaths.
However, the current epidemic situation in India is still quite serious as the country records over 100,000 new Covid-19 cases every day and about 3,000 deaths.
The skyrocketing number of cases and deaths in a short period of time has caused Indian hospitals to be overloaded, with a serious lack of beds, oxygen, medical equipment, and even space for bodies.
Mr Nathan apologized for the morgue’s handling of the bodies.
According to the above official, Theni K Vilakku hospital is currently expanding the morgue and adding a shelving system to accommodate more bodies.
India is currently the second largest epidemic region in the world with 28.4 million cases and more than 338,000 deaths from the epidemic.
