Amid mounting COVID-19 deaths, Patiala hospital's mortuary falls short of space

Karam Prakash
Tribune News Service
Patiala, August 4

With COVID-19 deaths continuously mounting in Punjab, the mortuary at the Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala is running out of space. Bodies of dead COVID patients lay for hours now at the isolation ward of the hospital.

Three dead bodies remained unattended at the isolation ward the entire Sunday night because there was no space in the mortuary.

The bodies were shifted to the mortuary on Monday morning, according to sources.

The lapse sent officials, including those of the district administration, into a tizzy. After senior officials came to know of the incident, bodies were immediately shifted to the mortuary.

Critical patients from nearby districts are referred to the Government Rajindra Hospital, a tertiary healthcare institution, leading to more deaths at the hospital. The mortuary, however, only has a capacity for eight dead bodies.

Experts said that if the government didn't make arrangements soon, the hospital might plunge into a big crisis.

An official at the Rajindra Hospital, pleading anonymity, said, “Now, it was only three dead bodies which were unattended, however, these numbers will rise in the coming days if the arrangements are not made immediately. Around six people died at isolation ward at Rajindra on Sunday.”

When asked about the lapse, Dr Harjinder Singh, Principal, Government Medical College Patiala, said, “We are holding a meeting over this issue. We are planning to make in house arrangements or buying new cold chambers. The issue will be solved soon.”