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KEM Hospital allows release of staffer’s body 3 days after death
The body of a class-IV employee of civic-run King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital, Parel has been lying in the morgue of the hospital for the last three days. On
The body of a class-IV employee of civic-run King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital, Parel has been lying in the morgue of the hospital for the last three days. On Tuesday, when hospital workers protested, the authorities decided to release the body as a suspected Covid victim. His family has now blamed the hospital for being negligent and not testing him earlier.
The 45-year-old victim worked at KEM for the last 10 years and was posted in a Covid ward at the hospital. On May 20, he developed a fever and cold. When he informed the doctors, they allegedly did not pay heed and his condition started deteriorating.
“On May 24, he started having trouble breathing and before he could reach the hospital, he died. Despite having the symptoms, the hospital didn’t admit him,” said Pradeep Narkar, secretary, Municipal Mazdoor Union.
His family has blamed the hospital for being negligent. When asked if the deceased worker was provided with precautionary medicines like HCQ, his sister said, “The medicines are mainly given to permanent employees. The hospital could have saved him if they treated him on time.”
As hospitals do not run Covid tests on corpses of suspected patients, authorities could not identify if the victim was Covid positive. “This confused the doctors about his cause of death. However, the hospital has now decided to release the body as a suspected Covid case. Unfortunately, his family members have also tested positive and hospitals are refusing to admit them,” Narkar said.
Three employees working in the KEM Hospital morgue have also tested positive. But as alleged by hospital workers, they aren’t given timely treatment and care. “We work in close contact with Covid victims but when we develop symptoms, we aren’t given treatment. We don’t even have insurance as we are not permanent employees of the hospital,” said a hospital worker.
Workers held a protest inside the hospital for five hours between 7am and 12pm on Wednesday demanding better safety measures and preventive treatment. “We have demanded treatment for infected staffers at the nearby Mahatma Gandhi Hospital if required,” said Narkar.
Dr Hemant Deshmukh, KEM Hospital dean has promised to fill in the gaps and provide alternative accommodation to staffers on Covid duty. “We have discussed their complaints and listened to their concerns. We will meet their demands to provide a better working environment,” he said.
25 Kasturba staff test positive
More than 25 medical staff from Kasturba Gandhi Hospital have contracted Covid-19 through cross-transmission. Of these, 16 are class-IV employees and eight are nurses and midwives.
Men working in Covid wards are more exposed to infection as they have not been provided alternative accommodation. They are forced to sleep on empty beds and in corners of the hospital. “Women staffers have been given ward 13 to stay in, but we don’t have any alternative place to reside. We can’t afford to go home as we can end up infecting our family members,” said an employee of the hospital.
