The body of a suspected COVID-19 patient was reportedly found lying at a bus stop, wrapped in PPE, in Karnataka’s Haveri district near the Ranebennur Taluk Hospital on Saturday, 4 July.
According to a report in The New Indian Express, the District Health Officer Dr Rajendra Doddamani confirmed the incident and said that the body of the suspected patient was found in a public place. Whether the person is COVID-19 positive or negative is not yet known as the report is awaited.
The DHO of Haveri said that a detailed report would be submitted in the matter to the Deputy Commissioner and reportedly said that leaving a suspected patient’s body unattended was a ‘grave mistake’.
The body was reportedly covered in a blue sheet and left with a garland next to it.
According to a report in The Times of India, the body is of a 45-year-old resident of Maruti Nagar, who sent his swab for testing on 28 June and was awaiting the test results. He reportedly passed away at the bus stop after visiting the hospital to get his test results, that had not yet come in.
On being informed of the incident, the hospital staff reportedly came and covered the body in PPE but left it at the bus stop, only returning to take it for last rites after public outrage.
This incident comes a day after the body of a COVID-19 patient lay on the roads of south Bengaluru for hours before an ambulance arrived. BBMP commissioner Anil Kumar had met the family of the deceased to offer an apology.
(With inputs from The Times of India and The New Indian Express.)
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