MORANG, Nov 2: The dead body of a COVID-19 patient awaits to be cremated at the Morang-based Birat Medical College for the past three days.

The hospital has refused to hand the body over to its family members after the latter failed to pay the cost of treatment.

The body is of a 65-year-old man from Biratnagar-3 who succumbed to COVID-19 while undergoing treatment at the hospital.

“The hospital has refused to hand over the body of my father as we were unable to clear the dues of the treatment cost,” lamented the daughter of the deceased man. “We had deposited Rs 100,000 before admitting our father to the hospital. So far, we have already paid Rs 250,000 but the hospital has asked us to pay a total of Rs 384,935.”

The deceased man was a bus driver at a private school in Biratnagar. He was admitted to the hospital on Oct 22.

According to chief administrator of the hospital, Sudhir Singh Rathor, the deceased was on a ventilator.

“We are also compelled to collect the cost of COVID-19 treatment. The family members will have to clear the dues before we can hand the body over to them,” he said.

 
• COVID-19
 
• dead_body
 
• payment
 
• hospital
 
• cremation