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Volunteers to take up last rites for Covid victims rejected by kin in Andhra
The district administration will provide personal protection equipment (PPE) kits for the volunteers, who would be asked to travel to any place in the district as required.
The district authorities in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district have come up with a plan to give a respectful and decent farewell to Covid-19 victims after a recent furore over an earthmover being used to take away the dead body of a coronavirus patient.
J Nivas, Srikakulam district collector, in coordination with Indian Red Cross Society and a local voluntary organisation, has urged volunteers to take up the responsibility of conducting last rites for Covid-19 victims ignored by their family members and rejected by neighbours.
“As many as 10 volunteers have come forward and registered with the Indian Red Cross Society to help us cremate or bury the dead bodies of Covid-19 victims. And many others from different parts of the district are calling up to find out the details,” secretary of Srikakulam district Red Cross Society Polumahati Jaganmohan Rao told Hindustan Times.
On Saturday, the Red Cross Society conducted the first orientation session for the volunteers on what precautions they should take in handling the bodies of Covid-19 patients and performing the last rites.
“Right now, we have an ambulance service to carry the patients to hospitals and the bodies of the deceased to their homes. But we are acquiring a separate vehicle to carry the bodies of Covid-19 victims and take up funeral services. It will be ready within a week,” Rao said.
The district administration will provide personal protection equipment (PPE) kits for the volunteers, who would be asked to travel to any place in the district as required.
Rao said the stigma attached to Covid-19 was forcing even children and other family members of the victims to abandon their bodies. “On the other hand, people in the neighbourhood of the victims are not allowing the bodies to be kept in the colonies even for a few minutes fearing that they might contract the virus,” he said.
As a result, the municipal employees are forced to take the bodies in trucks and perform the last rites. “This is definitely not the way to give farewell to the departed souls,” Nagabhushanam said.
Dr KS Jawahar Reddy, special chief secretary (medical and health) of the Andhra government, said it was not correct on part of the family members and relatives to abandon the dead bodies of their kin and the people in their neighbourhood to obstruct the funeral.
“The WHO and ICMR have already made it clear that the Covid-19 virus will not remain active after four to six hours of the death of the infected person. So, there is no possibility of the family members performing the last rites after this period contracting the virus,” Reddy said.
The volunteers, who registered with the Srikakulam Red Cross Society include teachers, private employees, students and other professionals. “I have shown interest in this voluntary service after reading about the incidents of family members deserting the bodies of their own kin due to stigma attached to Covid-19. I thought these victims deserve better treatment after death,” said 34-year-old G Shyam Sunder, a post-graduate teacher in Srikakulam town.
Stating that he had no worries of contracting the virus, Shyam Sunder said he had the resistance and immunity to survive even if he got the disease. “I hope many others would take inspiration from me and come forward in taking up this activity,” he said.
K Satyanarayana, 40, another volunteer registered with the Red Cross Society felt that human values were disappearing because of Covid-19 pandemic.
“People have become selfish and are worried about their own lives, but are not bothering about the sufferings of others, even if they are their own fathers and mothers. The victims of Covid-19 should not be left orphaned. That is why I came forward to take up this service,” Satyanarayana said.
