Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], June 16 : In the aftermath of the Ahmedabad plane crash, the Gujarat Health Department and district administration, under the direction of the state government, have expedited the process of identifying the deceased and handing over mortal remains to their family members, according to a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).
The highly sensitive process of DNA sample matching is being completed with utmost seriousness and swiftness.
Following DNA sample matching, the State's Health Department and the Civil Hospital Administration have established a complete system to ensure smooth execution of all procedures, from contacting the relatives of the deceased to handing over the mortal remains.
Providing details on this, Arvind Vijay, Managing Director of Gujarat Informatics Limited and Nodal Officer at the Civil Hospital, stated that after the DNA sample reports are received, a verification centre has been set up at Block D2 in the Civil Hospital for family verification.
When family members arrive to collect the mortal remains, they are verified at this centre. Once verification is completed, the Postmortem Room is informed. The Postmortem Room then initiates the process of preparing the mortal remains for handover.
Until the Postmortem Room completes its process, the family members are seated in the waiting area with a counsellor, medical team, and a Public Relations Officer (PRO). They are briefed in detail about the entire procedure and the documents that will be handed over along with the mortal remains.
As per the statement, once the Postmortem Room completes the process, the family is escorted by a PRO from Block D2 to the Postmortem Room. There, the mortal remains and all legally required documents are handed over to the family. A dedicated team also accompanies the family to transport the body to their residence, offering full assistance throughout.
It is noteworthy that the health department and the Civil Hospital administration have assigned a dedicated team to manage the entire process, from contact to identification and handing over the bodies, for every family. This team includes a health worker, a senior officer, police personnel, and a professional counsellor.
While handing over the mortal remains, the state government also provides the death certificate, the Accidental Death (AD) report, police investigation details, postmortem note, FSL report regarding DNA matching, and any ornaments or belongings found on the body.
Notably, the state government has arranged for 192 ambulances and 591 team members, including doctors, assistants, and drivers, to facilitate the handing over of mortal remains to relatives.
To assist the victims of the accident and their families, a help desk has been set up at the Kasauti Bhavan of BJ Medical College, which includes coordination with the control room and other operational arrangements.
Throughout this tragic time, the entire administrative setup has maintained direct contact with the families, helping them with arrangements at the Civil Hospital for sample collection, transportation from the airport, accommodation and meals, vehicle arrangements, and other support, carrying out all these responsibilities with empathy and care.