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Telangana govt issues guidelines for disposal of bodies of Covid-19 patients
Arvind Kumar, principal secretary, municipal administration and urban development, Telangana, said that the hospitals have been directed to buy or hire freezer boxes for preservation and transportation of bodies of Covid-19 patients.
Telangana government has come out with a series of operational guidelines for all the government and private hospitals in the state for the disposal of bodies of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients.
The government has suggested that every hospital follows a standard operational procedure (SOP) in dealing with the bodies and allocates a separate single room that can operate as a makeshift mortuary, which should be sprayed with disinfectants regularly to ensure it’s free from infection.
The hospital authorities have been asked to ensure adequate availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) kits for at least six people, including a driver, a helper and four attendants who have been entrusted with the responsibility to dispose of the body of a Covid-19 patient.
The PPE kit should comprise N-95 masks, surgical caps, protective goggles, water-resistant aprons, surgical gloves, knee-high shoes with thigh-level plastic covers and face shield as per the specifications.
Arvind Kumar, principal secretary, municipal administration and urban development, Telangana, said that the hospitals have been directed to buy or hire freezer boxes for preservation and transportation of bodies of Covid-19 patients. “Each hospital should keep ready a sufficient number of body bags – at least 10% of the total number of Covid-19 patients undergoing treatment – all the time,” he said.
Instructions have been issued to the hospitals to keep in mind the religious practices of the deceased patients before packing their bodies, Kumar said. Steps like giving a shower to the body with a disinfectant liquid, plugging the nasal and oral orifices, wrapping the body with a plastic sheet and followed by a white cotton cloth are all part of the SOP, he added.
“Each bag should contain a zip and be leak-proof with a specified thickness. The person who is handling the body should possess a proper PPE kit, as he has to wipe the body and keep it inside the bag before it is taken for the last rites,” the principal secretary said.
Besides, the makeshift mortuary should have a glass partition window along with a grill for viewing of the body by the deceased’s next of kin. A maximum of five persons shall be allowed to view the body and these people should not come in direct contact with doctors, nurses and paramedical staff of the hospital.
All the materials that would be used to handle the body should be put in a bag separately and sent for incineration. The hospitals should have separate freezer boxes and stretcher trolleys to carry the bodies.
Each hospital must appoint a dedicated liaison officer for the family members of a deceased Covid-19 patient, who will act as the single point of contact. The officer should also liaison with the police for the deceased’s last rites, the SOP added.
