Poorly embalmed, bodies get turned away at Cochin international airport

KOCHI: Embalming and the packing of a lot of dead bodies are being done in a slipshod manner and that has created another problem – of being turned down at the Cochin international airport, when they have to be airlifted to faraway places, both domestic and international.

The issues are related to bodies coming from Thrissur, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Idukki districts due to insufficient facilities and inexperience of persons who handle them.

Often they are sent to the General Hospital Ernakulam where an efficient system is in place. It is being run in association with a private firm, Cochin Emergency Ambulance Service that is engaged in the packing of bodies.

The police surgeon Dr Biju James does the embalming and his work is well appreciated by the authorities.

The bodies from Alappuzha district are directed to the General Hospital here because those that are set apart for the purpose of study by medical college students alone are embalmed at the Alappuzha Government Medical College.

“The rest of the bodies are forwarded to us,” said Dennish Paul, who manages Cochin Emergency Ambulance Service which also runs 10 ambulance services in association with others.

Though Kottayam and Thrissur medical colleges embalm and pack bodies, several times these are turned down at the airport and directed to General Hospital due to slipshod work.

With migrant workers dying in accidents, the number of bodies being taken through the airport has increased. Idukki does not have any facility to embalm bodies and those are also directed to Kochi.

Dennis said that airlines stipulate thermatic sealing, use of foam in packing and covering by plastic to make the packing airtight and waterproof.