Need your help -please write this mail to the Dean and the Director of Medical Research

Dear Supporters,

I need your help 

please read to the end of this update and help me 

I thought I must update you on where things stand with my campaign for the renovation of the morgue and autopsy centre at St. George’s Hospital, Mumbai. 

Your support is like a soothing balm and the only other thing (aside from my inner drive) that inspires me to keep at this cause. I wish I had more favourable news but the fact is that dealing with government departments is frustrating. Sometimes I feel like the red tape, the long-winding procedures are deliberately designed to dissuade responsible citizens like us from demanding quality services.

The processes remind me of a jalebi - going round and round in circles. At least jalebis are sweet. Chasing the government to upgrade a morgue facility is not.

So where have we reached?

12th October 2020

The PWD wrote to the (the Maharashtra State Secretariat asking them for permission to begin construction of the morgue building.

15th October 2020

The Secretariat replied saying that permission must be sought from the Finance Department.

Why? Because the government has passed a directive saying no construction work must be done due to COVID. For special cases, permission must be granted by Finance department.
This letter from B to A took ages to surface or reach the PWD even though it was responded to immediately. Is there a black hole in which such correspondence gets lost? 
It took about 10 messages and some 15 phone calls to retrieve it!!  

What is amazing and incredible is that making a mortuary is not considered a COVID-19 matter when there have been visuals projected on National TV of dead bodies being kept on the same bed as living patients for want of space in the mortuary! 

We, the public, should be full of gratitude that they are ready to make exceptions! So the office of the Executive Engineer from the  PWD  department then wrote to the Superintendent of St Georges hospital asking him to make that application. 

1st December 2020:

The new Superintendent of the hospital has been very proactive and has written to the Executive Engineer Public Construction department Fort Mumbai asking him to write to the Finance Department as it is not binding on them to seek permission as they are the consumer so that the construction of the morgue can begin.
 He also shared that the hospital has received Rs, 50 lakh for the construction and needs to be utilized before March 21 or it will lapse! 

What will help me is if each of you writes to the

1.      Director of Medical Education dmerps@gmail.com

2.       Dean JJ hospital deangmcjjh@gmail.com

urging them both   to send off that letter immediately. Your email could have the subject line: “Expedite Morgue Redevelopment” and the body text could say.

Dear  Sirs
I am a responsible citizen requesting you to expedite the matter of redeveloping the morgue and autopsy centre of St. George’s hospital. I am among 50,000 people who have signed Ms Renu Kapoor’s petition on change.org/mumbaimorgue urging the government to improve the facility. Bureaucratic hassles have slowed down the process for over 2 years. And then COVID-19 delayed matters further. I humbly urge you to write to the Finance Department, Government of Maharashtra to treat the morgue and autopsy centre project as a special case and to waive the ban on constructions during the pandemic.

Looking forward to speedy action.

Regards,
________ (Your name).

Please CC me in your email to the Director of Medical Educationand the Dean of JJ Hospital  My email id is mumbaidignityindeath@gmail.com