ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) was prompt in providing medical treatment to the injured of Fruit and Vegetable Market blast, but it was very slow in providing coffins and transport to the families to shift the bodies to their native towns.

This created an ugly situation as the members of the bereaved families were demanding bodies of their loved ones in coffins and ambulances to shift them to their native towns in far flung areas of the country.

Since the hospital ran out of coffins and fuel for ambulances it could not meet the demand of the bereaved, Dawn has learnt.

A similar situation was witnessed at Holy Family Hospital (HFH) where the administration got late in discharging the bodies of the victims due to the stringent process of security clearance from the intelligence agencies and the police special branch.

The relatives of the victims at HFH also complained that they were not provided with the ambulances to transport the bodies.

Soon after the blast Pims started receiving the injured, who were shifted to emergency ward, medical and surgical intensive care units (ICUs), minor operation theaters, surgical ward IV and V.

A doctor of the hospital requesting not to be identified said that a committee comprising Dr Naseer and Dr Nasreen Butt was formed to supervise autopsy on the bodies and later hand them over to their relatives without any delay.

“Autopsies were done on time but in the absence of coffins the families had to wait which created a tension and led to the scuffle,” he said.

“Another reason for the delay was unavailability of fuel for ambulances as most of the dead belonged to Swat, Mohmand Agency and other far flung areas,” he said.

“The delay in handing over the bodies to relatives forced some of them to protest outside the mortuary and one of them even scuffled with the security guard of the hospital,” he said.

Later, Minister for Information and Broadcasting and National Heritage Pervez Rasheed during a visit to the hospital intervened and resolved the issue.

The minister not only arranged the coffins but also sent the bodies to their respective cities in ambulances free of cost.

Pims provides free of cost (body) delivery service within the federal capital. But if relatives of the deceased want to shift the body out of city they have to hire an ambulance.

Spokesperson for Pims Dr Ayesha Isani while talking to Dawn said that Pims usually had just a few boxes because normally people carry bodies in sheets.

“Boxes are given when a body is shifted by air or it is in shreds. Relatives of the deceased were demanding boxes which were not available in such a large number,” she said.

They, however, arranged boxes immediately and provided ambulances to shift the bodies to their native areas.

“We had nine ambulances so Islamabad Capital Territory Administration was requested to arrange another 13 ambulances,” she said.

Mohammad Nasir, a relative of a victim at HFH, while talking to Dawn said: “They handed over the bodies in the afternoon. We requested for an ambulance, to transport the body to our native town, but the hospital and Rawalpindi administration refused to comply, and asked us to arrange a private ambulance.”

When contacted, the director of emergency at HFH, Dr Raja Shafiq Sarwar, said the bodies were handed over to the relatives soon after autopsy.

He admitted that there was some delay and said that it was due to security reasons.

About the provision of an ambulance, he said the hospital had three ambulances, and if they were provided to the deceased, the hospital would have to hire private ambulances in case of any further emergency.