TREATING THE DEAD WITH DIGNITY

Bodies are often accorded little respect in government hospitals, which makes it difficult for relatives to cope. But there is scope for change

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In the pre-privatisation era, public hospitals faced huge challenges in managing patients due to overcrowding, inadequate infrastructure such as beds and equipment, and limited resources. The 1990s were also the time when frequent epidemics of gastroenteritis and cholera hit Delhi, claiming lives across hospitals in the city.

In 1992, I was sent to Safdarjang Hospital to report on the condition of gastroenteritis-affected patients and the status of the government hospital. As is the case even now, the general ward that morning three decades ago was overflowing with patients. Amid that chaos, as I walked across the ward, I noticed that two people had died. I was distressed by the sight but there was something that would disturb me even more: the insensitivity of the staff.

For the paramedics, nurses, and medicos on duty, caregiving and declaring death are both routine business. There were at least 30 beds in that room and a majority made space for more than one patient. The over-burdened doctors showed no urgency in coming to the bed where the bodies lay still.