Dead body management training in Nepal

When Nepal recorded its first Covid death in May, a 29-year-old woman who had recently given birth to a baby boy prematurely, no one in Dhulikhel Hospital wanted to touch her deceased body, except Arun Sainju and Rajesh Gainju of the volunteer group RNA-16.

The duo is now putting their expertise in use and training hospital staff in and out of Kathmandu Valley on dead body management.

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Since the lockdown began in March, both Arun and Rajesh have been helping patients in Bhaktapur Hospital, whether helping out with arranging PCR tests or transporting people to the hospital or disinfecting their homes. Their effort

Arun and Rajesh have been hailed as the brave frontliners for their dedication. Their role has been particularly important as they took charge in creating awareness following government’s guidelines on dead body management of Covid-19 casualties even as doctors and healthcare workers themselves were skeptical.

“Dead body is not something we should be scared of, we only have to be mindful of touching the body while we are handling it and simply follow safety precautions,” says Arun, who with Rajesh recently concluded the training in Madhyapur Hospital in Thimi.