Pune: Test report delayed, Covid-19 victim’s body lay in ambulance for two days

PUNE: The body of a woman (40) remained lying in the cold storage of an ambulance parked outside a private hospital for around 48 hours after she succumbed to coronavirus infection on Thursday afternoon in Shikrapur, about 50km from the city, because her Covid-19 test report was awaited.
The victim’s test report came positive on Saturday afternoon. Former sarpanch of Shikrapur Ram Saswade then performed her last rites because the woman’s 17-year-old son hardly had any money.
A doctor of the private hospital in Shikrapur, where the woman passed away, told TOI, “The test report got delayed because her relatives were not carrying her Aadhaar card, required for Covid-19 test. Her body was kept in the ambulance as they wanted to perform her last rites at their native village in Osmanabad district.”
The victim’s son alleged that the hospital authorities did not tell him initially that Aadhaar card was required for the Covid test. “On July 31 (Friday), the doctors asked for my mother’s Aadhaar card. I somehow managed to get a copy of it on my cellphone and forwarded it to the hospital authorities. On Saturday afternoon the report came, and my mother tested Covid-19 positive,” he said.
The youth said he and his mother had gone to Karegaon in Ahmednagar district about a month ago in search of work. He had lost his father about 10 years ago.
“For the past 15 days, my mother was suffering from Covid-19-like symptoms. I took her to a private hospital in Ranjangaon on July 29. As her condition worsened, I shifted her to the private hospital in Shikrapur on July 30 (Thursday),” he said.
The boy said his mother died within half-an-hour after she was shifted to the Shikrapur hospital. “Still, I was asked to pay Rs16,000,” he said.
He claimed that he paid for the ice for two days as his mother’s body was kept in the cold storage of the ambulance. “I was also asked to pay for the personal protection equipment kit. I had to borrow money for making the payments,” he said.
The doctor of the hospital refuted the allegations. “We did not overcharge the patient party, and some bill amount is still pending,” he said.
After almost running out of cash, the victim’s son went to the Shikrapur police station and narrated his ordeal to the officer in charge. The police contacted the former sarpanch, Saswade, and requested him to perform the woman’s last rites.
Saswade said the youth was very poor and was not in a position to cremate his mother. “Her relatives, too, did not turn up after learning that she died of Covid-19. With the help of gram panchayat workers, I performed the last rites. I also gave the boy some money and sent him back to Karegaon,” Saswade said.