Although a new larger morgue is being readied for Goa medical college (GMC) and hospital, Bambolim, there is no guarantee that it would help put right the existing problem; provide adequate space for all bodies brought to the GMC morgue.
The reason being most of the time, GMC morgue cabinets remain occupied by unidentified bodies being not disposed on time as police and civic bodies wrestle over the matter of disposal.
The police inspector attached to the respective police station has to assume responsibility for an unclaimed body found in his jurisdiction, and though he may be willing to do his duty, many a time he is left helpless for alleged lack of cooperation from the village panchayat.
"There is clear instruction from the collector to the police that a body has to be disposed off within 15 days, but it is rarely done," a doctor from the forensic department said, seeking anonymity.
The village panchayat has to bear expenditure for burial or cremation of a person who has died in the village if the body remains unclaimed.
Some police officers, however, complained that most of the time, village panchayats are just not willing to shell out money. A police officer claimed that the Curca-Bambolim panchayat has been "the most adamant" and till date, has not paid him expenditure incurred for disposing four bodies.
"I have written several letters to them over the past few months but they have not paid me till date,"said a police officer, even as he claimed that it was the prime responsibility of the panchayat to give at least 1000 per body, and arrange for a hearse van.
When contacted, sarpanch Ghanashayam Vernekar, however, claimed during the last panchayat meeting, they had passed a resolution and some money was sanctioned to be paid to police.
He was unable to spell out how much amount was sanctioned and how much they paid per body. At the time of writing this article, there were two bodies attached to Agasaim police station, lying at the morgue but coming under the domain of Curca-Bambolim-Talaulim village panchayat.
The police officer also complained that Curca village panchayat only pays 750 per body while actually they need to give 900 per body like other panchayats.
A body of a Russian national, Tatiana, 27, has been lying in the morgue ever since March, 2010.
Anjuna police inspector Vishwesh Karpe said he was helpless as there has been no response from the Russian embassy. "We have written six to seven letters to them but they are yet to trace relatives of the deceased," he said.
He also complained that most of the time, delays also occur as a result of non-cooperation by the civic bodies, especially panchayats.
"If they arrange things on time we can dispose off bodies immediately," he added.
The GMC morgue has been compelled to hold bodies for a longer duration as police fight with civic bodies to compel them to adher to their civic responsibility.
The head of forensic medicine, Dr Silvano Sapeco, claimed that they are constantly after respective police stations to take the bodies.
The existing capacity of the morgue is 62 (cabinets) while at any given time 35- 40 cabinets remain occupied with 35-40 unidentified and unclaimed bodies and sometimes from medico-legal cases.
When all cabinets are full, the department is left with no option but to keep new bodies in the morgue without the cabinet facility. "As a precaution, we have to post an attendant there, when a body is not kept in the cabinet, lest rats do not eat parts of the body," said a forensic department official.
Forensic and Toxicology department receives on an average five -six bodies for autopsies whereas various hospitals send eight-ten bodies in connection with non-police cases everyday.
Sometimes, there are requests from individuals to keep a body in the morgue till the final rites are arranged for. The new morgue will have 200 cabinets and certainly be bigger than the existing one. But it won't matter if police and civic bodies do not resolve their issues over disposal of bodies.
Monday 17 December 2012
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Police-pyats-squabble-delays-disposal-of-morgue-bodies/articleshow/17644733.cms
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