The health department has instructed Rogi Kalyan Samitis (patients’ welfare committees) of the state-run health establishments to make arrangements for free transportation of bodies if patients die at hospitals and their kin don’t have means to carry the mortal remains home.

“Usually, hospitals or health centres do not have hearse vans. So the rogi kalyan samiti of the concerned hospital will arrange the transportation free of cost in case relatives of a deceased patient express inability to bear the cost. Members of the samiti will communicate with local bodies like panchayats or municipalities to get a hearse van,” said Siddhartha Niyogi, the director of health services of the state.

The decision, sources said, has been made after two incidents, where the families carried the body on their own and not in any vehicle, were reported in north Bengal during the past few months.

In January, Jaykrishna Dewan, a resident of Kranti in Jalpaiguri, was seen carrying the body of his wife Laxmirani, with their son from the super-speciality hospital of Jalpaiguri town, as they didn’t have money to pay for a hearse van or an ambulance.

Eventually, a social organisation turned up and helped them with an ambulance to carry the body to their native village free of cost.

Again, earlier this month, Asim Debsharma, a migrant worker based in Kaliaganj block of North Dinajpur, had put the body of his five-monthold son in a bag and travelled for 200 kilometres by bus to reach his village.

His son was under treatment at North Bengal Medical College & Hospital which is on the outskirts of Siliguri. After his death, private ambulances demanded 8,000 rupees which made him take the step.

After he reached Kaliaganj town from Siliguri, a local BJP leader arranged an ambulance in which he carried the infant’s body to his village.

“From now on, after any patient’s death, the health staff posted in the concerned ward will have to ensure that the deceased’s family has arranged a vehicle before releasing the body. In case they couldn’t make it, the free hearse had to be arranged with the help of the rogi kalyan samiti. This has to be done to confirm that such incidents of carrying bodies in an improper manner, don’t happen again,” said a source.

After Debsharma’s incident, the samiti of NBMCH held a meeting.