PESHAWAR: A senior member of Malgari Doctoran has become an inspirational force in burial of the people dying of Covid-19 with respect.

Dr Rohail Hayat, general secretary of Malgari Doctoran, an organisation of doctors affiliated with Awami National Party, has inspired health workers and people to bury the people with religious honour after dying of Covid-19.

It was a rainy evening when an 80-year-old man died of Covid-19 in Mardan Medical Complex a week ago. The dead body remained unclaimed for few hours, after Dr Rohail, the deputy medical superintendent of the hospital, came forward and gave bath to the elderly man, packed him in coffin and offered funeral at the hospital. Meanwhile, the relatives reached and took him for burial.

Given the speed with which Covid-19 is claiming lives, this has motivated staff to follow suit and two more deceased from the virus had been lowered to the grave with respect.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, case fatality rate from the infection is 5.8 per cent as compared to the countrywide 2.09 per cent, warranting the need for adherence to strict SoPs to ensure that people are buried properly after performance of religious rituals.

Dr Rohail, who wasn’t supposed to do what he did because it was the duty of the highly-paid managers recruited under the Medical Teaching Institution Reforms Act 2015, wanted to send a message that the victims of the virus shouldn’t be abandoned but be accorded respect in line with the guidelines issued by the provincial government and World Health Organisation.

He was supported by two Class-IV employees of the same hospital who also played instrumental role in sending two other dead bodies to their native areas after giving them bath.

Dr Rohail told Dawn that he was a government employee and did what he had learnt as health professional and as human being. His colleagues, however, said that he had become a role model for others.

They said that those, who were scared of coming close to the dead bodies previously, were now willing to ensure that proper arrangements were made for the people passing away due to the pandemic.

Prof Ziaul Haq, dean of public health and pro vice-chancellor of Khyber Medical University, said that dead bodies needed respectful burial.

“People are assuming that they could get infection from dead bodies even from a distance of 20 feet. There are instances where clerics refused to lead funeral prayers. The WHO has issued guidelines to ensure safe burial, however, that need to be communicated to the hospitals and people,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2020