Staff at Gandhi Hospital Loots in Name of Free Hearse Service

Hyderabad: A new sham is being played out in the name of the much-hyped 'free hearse service' run by the state government as Pardiha Vahanam. Although intended to facilitate poor families for transporting bodies of their kin, who die in government hospitals, the ‘free service’ now comes with a price, especially in Gandhi Hospital, which has 17 such vehicles. There is rampant corruption that makes a mockery of the otherwise humanitarian gesture. Some corrupt staff members are bringing disrepute to the hospital with such excesses.

This illegality came to the fore when one Peruka Shashank shared his travails with Deccan Chronicle about the problems he faced when he had to shift his aunt B. Lakshmi to Bhupalpally in Warangal, a day after she died while undergoing treatment on Tuesday.

“After coming to know about the free service, we contacted them only to be told that there were no vehicles at that time. In the meanwhile, a driver approached me and assured me to ‘manage’ a vehicle, albeit against a payment of Rs 5,000’. Initially, we said yes but after reaching our place we questioned him about the charges when the services were supposed to be free of cost. There was an argument and eventually, we paid him Rs 2000,” Shashank said. He added, “This is nothing but outright exploitation when the family is in deep sorrow.”

Enquiries revealed that this was not an isolated case.

“It is time the authorities come up with a vigilance team that can catch such corrupt staff red-handed”, said an employee of the hospital, seeking anonymity. He added that there was a compelling need to launch a toll-free number so that victims can lodge their complaints and grievances.

"These vehicles are equipped with the latest technology, including ACs, and can carry two bodies in one go. Apart from allocating 10 vehicles each to Gandhi Hospital and Osmania Hospital, 11 vehicles are kept on standby for those seeking the service," he added.