Four sanitation workers were seen lifting and dumping the bodies in the back of the van.
A garbage van was used to ferry the bodies of patients who died of COVID-19 in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon. In appalling visuals, four sanitation workers, clad in full PPE kits, were seen lifting and dumping the bodies in the back of the van for taking them to the cremation ground.
"Arranging the vehicle is the responsibility of the Nagar Panchayat and the CMO" was the answer of the Chief Medical Health Officer when asked about the incident
To deal with the surge in cases and shortage of beds, Rajnandgaon's Press Club has converted its premises into a Covid centre where asymptomatic patients are being treated free of cost. The press club members have arranged 30 beds for patients who are asymptomatic but need medical assistance. A team of medical staff is also present at the club round the clock to take care of the patients, director of the press club Ajay Soni, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The healthcare infrastructure in Chhattisgarh, which is among the ten most COVID-19 affected states in the country, is reeling under the pressure of surging cases and deaths.
The main government hospital in its capital city, Raipur, has been struggling to keep up with the number of deaths, its intensive care units and oxygen-equipped beds have been at almost 100 per cent occupancy for the past week. A video clip recorded over the weekend showed the bodies, instead of being kept in the freezers as is the procedure, is being kept pretty much anywhere with available space.
Chhattisgarh on Wednesday reported 14,250 new COVID-19 cases and 120 more deaths, taking the infection count to 4,86,244 and the death figure to 5,307, a health official said.
The fresh daily tally was lower than 15,121 COVID-19 cases reported on Tuesday, the highest single-day spike so far in the state.
The state has recorded over 1.68 lakh cases and 1,417 deaths just in the last one month.