The number of unclaimed bodies in the mortuary of the Sassoon General Hospital has gone up to 47, against the cold storage capacity of 32.
The number of unclaimed bodies in the mortuary of the Sassoon General Hospital has gone up to 47, against the cold storage capacity of 32. The situation may worsen as the authorities concerned are not taking any steps to dispose of them.
Sources in the hospital confided to DNA that for over the last 10 days, more than 47 bodies are lying at the mortuary. “We have a separate room for keeping unclaimed bodies. We have provision for keeping 32 bodies in cold storage. However, now we have 15 to 20 more bodies,” said the sources.
The problem, said the sources, is that bodies are decomposing and the stench is so awful that it has become difficult for the doctors to carry out autopsies.
“Bodies that cannot be kept in cold storage are decaying. It is hazardous for the doctors and the other staff to work in the mortuary due to possibility of infections,” said the sources, claiming that the staff and doctors are unwilling to carry out post-mortems due to the stench.
Most of these bodies are of mishap victims and beggars.
Sources claimed that a number of reminders have been sent to the police to dispose of the bodies after keeping them for the stipulated three days. “There is a rule that if no one comes forward to claim a corpse for three days, it can be disposed of,” the sources said, adding that despite requests, there is no response from the police.
Apparently, the police are in no hurry. The police had disposed of the body of a lecturer of Fergusson College in the second week of January after he met with an accident. The victim had fled from a Vipassana Centre on January 7 and was killed the same day. Since his family was not aware of the turn of events, no one came forward to claim his body and the police cremated him.
Later, the family came to know of the incident and claimed the body. However, the police were helpless.
When contacted, additional commissioner of police (crime), Anant Shinde, maintained that the police did not have a role to play in disposing of the bodies. “It is the duty of the hospital authorities to furnish a list of the unclaimed bodies to the police. It is the Pune Municipal Corporation that has to dispose of the bodies,” he said.
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