THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Shortage of staff and inadequate infrastructure facilities continue to hit the functioning of mortuaries in medical college hospitals in the state. Defective freezers, crude methods of postmortem and vacant posts are some of the major problems being faced by the forensic medicine departments. Time and again it has been pointed out that the dignity and respect of the dead needs to be a maintained under all circumstances. The hospital is not absolved of responsibility until the dead person is duly handed over to the next of the kin. However, incidents in the recent past have proved that these norms are not being adhered to in some of the hospitals.
All hospitals with mortuary should review the status of infrastructure of mortuaries and undertake on priority their repair, maintenance up gradation or modernisation to ensure the bodies are kept in safe hygienic facilities. However, such audits are rarely carried out and even if these are conducted there are no follow-up actions. The forensic medicine department, many doctors allege, continues to face step motherly treatment from the authorities. At many places, work is being carried out by skeletal staff while work load has increased manifold. About 3500 to 4000 post-mortems are carried out in MCH Trivandrum every year. A Central government circular issued recently pointed out that the forensic departments need three times more the existing staff strength.
The facilities in mortuaries date back to 1950’s. Most hospital mortuaries lack facilities including artificial lighting that provides good general illumination with higher levels of task lighting over the post-mortem tables and dissecting benches. Besides ultra modern artificial lighting system, the forensic departments of medical colleges require at least three times the existing staff to ensure hassle-free operations.
The staffing pattern of a mortuary depends upon the size of the hospital and complexity of its operations. In hospitals where more than 500 post mortems take place annually two specialist are needed, one post mortem assistant, one clerk, four chowkidars, peon and morgue attendants. As per a government order issued earlier medical colleges required more than 110 doctors. In five medical colleges total number of posts in forensic medicine department is 54. Total number of residents/post graduates is 33. There is a requirement of 40 more posts.
