BBMP Commissioner apologises to family of COVID-19 victim

Bengaluru: The city’s civic body chief has apologised to the family of a deceased 65-year-old COVID-19 victim, whose body was reportedly left unattended for three hours on the roadside here while they waited for an ambulance.

B H Anil Kumar, Commissioner of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike personally met the family of the victim at Gavipuram on Saturday, apologised to them and said BBMP workers should have handled the situation in a better manner.

The family said the man developed respiratory problems on July 3 evening and they called for an ambulance. With his condition worsening and no sign of the ambulance, he came out of the house and flagged an autorickshaw to take him to a hospital, but collapsed just as he was about to get in, they said.

The ambulance arrived three hours later and took the body, they said.

“Met the family of the COVID-19 victim in Gavipuram who was left unattended on the roadside. Offered an unconditional apology with folded hands on behalf of the BBMP as our staff could have handled the situation in a better manner,” Kumar tweeted.

He appealed to the public not to stigmatise COVID-19 patients and their families.

Recently, a video purportedly showing health workers burying inappropriately some bodies of COVID-19 victims in a large pit in Ballari district had surfaced, triggering outrage on social media, following which they were suspended. The government then instructed health workers to follow the protocol for disposal of bodies.