‘Govt ambulances not meant for transporting dead’

HYDERABAD: The director general of health, Sindh, Dr Irshad Memon, has asked all the officials concerned to discourage use of government ambulance services for transporting dead bodies from hospitals to other places.

“These vehicles are only for shifting critically sick people from one to another health facility on medical advice, the Sindh health DG said in a letter addressed to all district health officers (DHOs) and medical superintendents of the district headquarter and tehsil headquarter hospitals, as well as heads of rural and urban health centres.

The officials have been advised to disseminate awareness about proper utilisation of government ambulance services in public interest.

Dr Memon elaborated that the deceased deserved profound honour and, where necessary, their movement should be carried out in graceful manner using neat and clean coffin carries and vehicles. “The use of ambulances for the purpose should be discouraged,” he stressed.

The ambulances are for transportation of people needing urgent medical help, he said, and proposed placement of standees at important points in hospitals which, according to him, would prove helpful in disseminating awareness regarding utilisation of ambulances.

The letter asked all DHOs, medical superintendents of all tertiary care hospitals, DHQs, THQs, RHCs and UHCs to place such standees, inscribed with awareness material in three different languages, at prominent points within their respective health facility.