Doctors' Protest Disrupts Autopsy Services In Odisha; Families Wait Hours As Bodies Remain In Mortuary
The second deceased was a 15-year-old girl from Gagapal village under Berhampur police station limits in Mayurbhanj district.
Bhubaneswar: The ongoing protest by doctors in Odisha has allegedly disrupted medico-legal services at the Sub-Divisional Hospital in Udala of Mayurbhanj district, leaving bereaved families waiting for hours as post-mortem examinations could not be carried out.
According to police sources, two bodies remained in the hospital mortuary for several hours on Thursday after autopsies were reportedly delayed due to the agitation.
One of the deceased was identified as Bhabesh Bindhani, a resident of Badampada village under Kaptipada police station limits. Family members said he allegedly consumed a poisonous substance and was admitted to the Udala hospital, where he died late Wednesday night while undergoing treatment. Police subsequently seized the body and initiated an investigation in accordance with legal procedure.
The second deceased was a 15-year-old girl from Gagapal village under Berhampur police station limits in Mayurbhanj district. She too allegedly died after consuming a poisonous substance. Her body was also kept in the mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.
Relatives of both deceased alleged that the autopsies could not be conducted because of the ongoing doctors' protest. They claimed the bodies remained in the mortuary for nearly nine hours, prolonging their ordeal and delaying funeral rites.
Family members of Bhabesh Bindhani said they were advised to shift the body to the district headquarters hospital in Baripada for the post-mortem examination. However, they questioned how they were expected to arrange transportation while dealing with the sudden loss of a family member.
The delay has raised concerns over the impact of the doctors' agitation on essential medico-legal services, particularly in rural healthcare facilities where post-mortem examinations are mandatory in cases of unnatural deaths.
Hospital authorities had not issued any official statement on the alleged disruption till the time of filing this report.