Taking serious note of the shocking incident wherein the decomposed bodies of two COVID-19 patients (who died during the first wave in 2020) that were found in the mortuary of ESIC Model Hospital in Rajajinagar after 15 months, the Employees State Insurance Corporation, which comes under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, has removed the incumbent Dean and Director Jithendra Kumar.
In his place, Renuka Ramaiah, director professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the hospital has been appointed as in charge dean and director. An order copy in this regard was issued by Assistant Director Sanjay Kumar Gupta on Wednesday.
READ: Two ‘forgotten’ bodies of COVID-19 victims found in ESI mortuary after 15 months
Sources in the hospital said an investigation team from the head office is expected to arrive at the hospital on Thursday for a thorough probe into the incident. The team is expected to submit its report in the next one week. “More heads are likely to roll after the team submits its report,” sources said.
The bodies were recovered last Friday evening, at the cold storage when the housekeeping staff went there for cleaning. The families of the victims, who were earlier told that the bodies were cremated, were stunned at the turn of events. They were informed by the police about the bodies still being in the mortuary.
The bodies were identified as Durga S., 40, a resident of Chamarajpet, and Muniraju, 35, a resident of KP Agrahara in Bengaluru, with the help of tags. They were admitted to the ESIC Model hospital for COVID-19 treatment in July 2020. After their death, their bodies were shifted to the mortuary to be handed over to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for cremation. But that did not happen and the bodies were forgotten in the old mortuary after a new mortuary was consturcted.
The outgoing dean Dr. Jithendra Kumar, who had ordered an internal enquiry, had said that there was some confusion as the mortuary log book had shown that the bodies were handed over to the BBMP. Taking serious note of the incident after widespread public outcry, the ESIC head office has now changed the dean.
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