Bravo: Telangana Doctor steers tractor to transport deceased COVID patient body after drives backs out

Written by MD Bureau Published On 2020-07-15T09:00:15+05:30 | Updated On 15 July 2020 9:00 AM IST

Bravo: Telangana Doctor steers tractor to transport deceased COVID patient body after drives backs out

This incident is a rare instance where the doctor was not only performing his duties diligently on the frontline despite all the risks involved but also going out of the way to help the patients and families. The doctor was concerned that due to the unavailability of the ambulances, the cremation might be delayed and the family of the victim will be rendered distressed.

Telangana: At a time when even securing beds in hospitals are becoming difficult for patients due to the pandemic, a 45-year-old Telangana doctor has established our belief in humanity after he drove a tractor to carry the body of a deceased COVID-19 patient to cremation ground for his last rites.

The doctor is identified as Dr Pendyala Sriram Shri Ram, who works as a district medical surveillance officer in the Peddapalli district. On July 12, after one of the COVID patients passed away, he tried to arrange an ambulance to take the body for cremation. However, due to the unavailability of ambulances, the doctor approached a municipality tractor driver requesting him to carry the body, the driver refused to carry the body as he was scared of contracting the virus.

Under such circumstances, the medical practitioner decided to take the matters on his own hands and drove the vehicle carrying the body of the deceased to the cremation ground.

The incident came to light after a video went viral in the social media platform in which the doctor was seen driving the tractor wearing personal protective equipment.

#WATCH Telangana: Body of a man who had #COVID19 was driven to the burial ground in a tractor by Dr Sriram, working as Peddapalli District Surveillance Officer for prevention of spread of COVID, after the driver allegedly refused to do it. pic.twitter.com/yRzziKTHqy
— ANI (@ANI) July 13, 2020

This incident is a rare instance where the doctor was not only performing his duties diligently on the frontline despite all the risks involved but also going out of the way to help the patients and families. The doctor was concerned that due to the unavailability of the ambulances, the cremation might be delayed and the family of the victim will be rendered distressed.

The gesture has been lauded by many including the Vice President of India, who tweeted;

Greatly appreciate the gesture of Dr. Pendyala Sriram, Peddapalli District Surveillance Officer in Telangana.

I am sure his noble act will inspire others. #Respect https://t.co/kfGbYmtNgd
— Vice President of India (@VPSecretariat) July 14, 2020

Also Read: COVID-19 Bodies Disposal: Delhi Govt Issues Additional Guidelines

While explaining his stance behind this gesture , the doctor told HT "In July 2018, I lost my 18-year-old son in a road accident in Bengaluru. And I had to struggle for nearly 20 hours to get his body from the hospital mortuary after post-mortem. I could see the same agony in the faces of the family members of Covid-19." The doctor also informed that since he practiced cultivation in Karimnagar on weekends, he had the knowledge of driving a tractor.

The doctor also informed the leading daily that it was necessary to quickly shift the body of the patient. He approached police and hospital authority regarding the issue but there was no ambulance to carry the body, on the other hand, the family of the deceased was also anxious in the scenario.

"Since it was the first case in the district, the hospital staff also did not know how to handle the body of a Covid-19 victim, including its packing as per the protocol. In fact, there was a lone woman medical officer and some nurses at the hospital. Unfortunately, the hospital does not have a mortuary to preserve the body at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius for a long time and there was not even an ambulance to carry a dead body, let alone a Covid-19 victim", Dr Sriram told the daily. Hence he decided to grab the sheering wheel of a tractor to handle the problem.

covid 19 patientcovidcoronavirusdoctortelangana doctor

Source : with inputs

MD Bureau

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