Pune civic body addresses delays in cremating Covid-19 patients

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) authorities have taken steps to prevent inordinate delays in cremating the bodies of patients who have died of the Coid-19 (coronavirus) in the city. While 26 patients have so far died of Covid-19 in Pune, the civic body has designated six gas-fired furnaces in different parts of the city for the cremation.

Delays of about four hours occurred at the Yerawada and Vaikunth Road crematoria due to manpower shortage and unavailability of personal protective equipment (PPEs) for the staff.

“Even I received the complaint about shortage of safety equipment,” said Shrinivas Kandul, head of PMC’s electrical department and incharge of the city’s 31 crematoria.

Vaikunth crematorium’s health inspector Kishor Thorat said, on Friday, a body had arrived from Sassoon Hospital and the cremation was delayed by about four hours due to manpower shortage.

“It is true that we are facing manpower shortage at our gas-fired furnace. At the Vaikunth crematorium, we have three electric furnaces for non-coronavirus dead bodies and one gas-fired furnace exclusively for coronavirus patients. On Friday, the staff working on the electric furnaces was busy and there was no one to attend to the dead body at the gas furnace,” he said.

Thorat pointed out that previously the relatives of the dead would help with lifting the body and taking it to the furnace. That however, is not allowed in the case of patients who have died of the coronavirus disease. There was thus a delay in cremating the body that had arrived at Sassoon Hospital, he said.

A similar delay in cremating the body of another Covid-19 patient occurred at the crematorium in Yerawada.

Electric department head Shrinivas Kandul who is head for all the 31 crematoriums in the city acknowledged that there was some mismanagement in ensuring stocks of personal protective equipment (PPEs) for the crematorium staff, which was another reason for the delay in cremating the bodies.

He said a special supply of PPEs and additional staff has been organised at the six, designated crematoriums for coronavirus patients. “The PPEs for crematorium staff will be delivered by Saturday or Sunday evening,” he said.

Thorat said the Vaikunth crematorium had adequate stock of PPEs which included 15 full-length aprons, 100 pairs of gloves and 100 disposable masks.

The civic body has designated six gas-fired crematoriums for the cremation of the bodies of coronavirus patients as there is comparatively less handling of the body at the gas fired crematoriums. However, with just one or two operators at the gas furnaces, the crematoriums started encountering shortage of personnel to handle the bodies.

“We are recruiting more manpower for this and additional staff will be available by Saturday evening or Sunday,’ Kandul said.

Designated crematoriums

6 gas-fired crematoriums designated for Covid-19 patients in Pune .These are located at Aundh, Bopodi, Katraj, Mundhwa and Vaikunth

PPEs for staff at crematorium:

* Full-length aprons, hand gloves, mask, shoes, cap

* Disinfectant Sodium Chlorite solution

* Hand pump for sanitising the area