12 May,2020 06:58 AM IST | Mumbai | Vinod Kumar Menon
With an increase in COVID-19 deaths, cabinets in the hospital cold storage is likely to be increased to 42
Days after multiple videos exposed the sad state of affairs at Sion hospital, another discrepancy has come to the fore. According to hospital sources, due to lack of coordination between ward and mortuary staff, 11 of 16 cabinets set up to keep bodies of COVID-19 patients were lying vacant the day a video was taken in ward 3A.
A hospital source said, "On the fateful day, 11 of the cabinets in the cold storage were lying vacant." Sources further said that nearly eight to 10 hospital staffers have come under scanner and they would either be warned or temporarily suspended if found guilty. Newly appointed commissioner, Iqbal Singh Chahal, will soon visit the hospital and inspect the designated COVID-19 wards. He will also interact with patients and treating doctors.
Meanwhile, Dr Ramesh Bharmal, newly appointed dean of LTMG Hospital and medical director, Medical Education, is awaiting an internal inquiry report, which was submitted to his predecessor, Dr Pramod Ingale.
Dr Bharmal, who took charge on Sunday, told mid-day, "We have taken steps to ensure that more patients can be accommodated, and are trying to do the best to eliminate any kind of inconvenience. We have increased the number of beds in the ICU by 40, and an additional 100 beds will be set up in the COVID wards. Also, another 120 beds will be put up at Chota Sion Hospital in Dharavi soon."
"We have also requested for two dedicated hearse vans and two attendants for transporting the bodies. Two dedicated class 4 employees have been assigned the job of following the protocol for handling the bodies of those who die of COVID-19, mopping and disinfecting them, wrapping them, and then handing them over to the ward boys to be taken to the cold storage. They are then immediately dispatched in hearse vans. Also, we have placed an order for cold chain containers, in which the bodies can be preserved for some time. We are expecting five to be delivered soon," added Dr Bharmal.
No waiting post death
According to sources, the LTMG Hospital has decided not to keep any bodies in the ward for the mandatory two hours, to avoid any delay in sending the body to the cold storage.
Confirming the same, Dr Rajesh Dhere, professor and head of the forensic and toxicology department, said, "On Sunday, we reported a total of 27 deaths, of which seven were due to COVID-19. Almost 22 bodies were dispatched by late evening. Some of those whose relatives could not be traced and police paper work is awaited, dispatching will take 24 to 48 hours."
He further said, "Due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 deaths, we have decided to increase the number of cabinets in the cold storage to 42. Another 16 will be kept for non-COVID bodies. Also, a triage room (holding area) will be constructed on the ground floor of the mortuary building so that an additional 20 bodies can be kept in the air-conditioning environment for eight to nine hours, before they can be dispatched."
Pardeshi's concept
Speaking to mid-day earlier, former civic chief Praveen Pardeshi had said, "We are preparing ourselves to handle all sorts of eventualities arising out of the COVID-19 situation. During the course of my visit to LTMG and Nair hospitals a few weeks ago to check the preparedness, it was found that a number of unclaimed bodies were lying in the mortuary for months together. We got such bodies disposed of with the help of the police and have set up special mortuary units to keep the bodies of those who are suspected to have died of COVID-19 till the police complete formalities."
When asked if other peripheral hospitals or medical colleges would have similar arrangements, Pardeshi had replied, "At present, LTMG has 16 cabinets and Nair has six, which are sufficient. We may rope in KEM and Cooper, in future, if need arises. Such set ups are not required in peripheral hospitals."
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