Hyderabad: As Osmania General Hospital is grappling with the regular disposal of unclaimed dead bodies before they get decomposed, private medical college managements are appealing to the government to take steps to hand over dead bodies for educational purposes.
Telangana has around 20 private medical colleges at present and each college requires 10 to 15 dead bodies every year for first year MBBS students, who will be dissecting human cadevars as part of anatomy classes. Earlier private colleges used to collect bodies from government hospitals like Osmania, and Gandhi without any fuss. They needed to submit Rs 15,000 Demand Draft (taken on the concerned medical college) besides submitting application and related documents. Osmania Hospital authorities used to inform medical colleges if a dead body, which was fit without any contagious symptoms, goes unclaimed after the stipulated period.
However, the situation changed from 2013 onwards due to procedural bottlenecks.
The heads of Anatomy, Forensic and Station House Officer, Afzal Gunj were included in cadevar certification committee to take decision on handing over dead bodies.
At present bodies are being given to only some government colleges like Osmania Medical College.
According to sources, there is no unanimity among the concerned heads in handing over dead-bodies to private colleges in view of incidents in the past, when few doctors faced the axe following corruption charges.
“They are worried of becoming a soft target if private colleges try to blame them or allege bias or trade corruption charges if one college got the body while another did not. Even if they want to take a decision to benefit students, these things are worrying them and hence no permission was given to private colleges in the last four years,” a doctor said.
Meanwhile, C. Lakshmi Narasimha Rao, president of Telangana Private Medical and Dental Colleges Association stated that they are facing difficulties in getting cadevars for first year medicos.
“Some are voluntarily donating the dead body of their family members so that it could be utilized for medical education. Even if we get two to five bodies, the rest we are procuring from neighboring states like Maharashtra and we are made to spend Rs 50,000 to Rs 61,000 on each body,” he said.
Three purposes will be solved if unclaimed dead bodies of Osmania Hopsital were handed over to private medical colleges.
It will help medical education in private colleges, Osmania Hospital will get additional income that can be used for its development and also some burden of disposing bodies will be reduced from GHMC.
It is learnt that Osmania General Hospital generated Rs 3 crore revenue by handing over unclaimed dead bodies from 2001 to 2013.
Meanwhile, MCI member Dr D. Nandakishore stated that the government should bring a proper mechanism so that unclaimed dead bodies could be given to private medical colleges without any legal problems and difficulties.
After the report on unclaimed dead bodies at the OGH mortuary was published our readers sent us many letters
Hats off to DC for the report about the OGH mortuary, which prompted immediate action by the authorities (At long last OGH clears bodies, May 7). But it was quite shocking to know that some staffers of the forensic department died by contracting TB and other diseases. I hope the government would maintain standards at the mortuary to save the lives of the staff.
— Alladi Balasubramaniam, Secunderabad
I was shocked to see the photos of dead bodies at the OGH mortuary. The condition at government hospitals has hit its nadir. Even poor patients are wary of these hospitals. I think that electric crematoriums must be set up on the premises of these hospitals for disposal of unclaimed bodies. There is also a need to revive non- functional electric crematoriums.
— Dinanath Shenolikar, Hyderabad
DC has done an exceptional job in highlighting the condition of the dead at OGH. I would to see more impactful exposes by you in future. Hats off to DC for the exceptional coverage and for making the authorities wake up.
— Deepesh Surana, Secunderabad
The pictures left me speechless. No society can call itself civil if the dead are treated this way. While our countrymen and leaders are chest thumping on development, GDP growth, space tech etc, the scenes of bodies piled up in a hospital mortuary negates everything. We do not want to be a global power, but respect for all the living and the dead. Show some humanity please.
— Vikas Sharma, Secunderabad
I was appalled by the report. What type of values will students learn in such institutions? Cleanliness is next to Godliness
and doctors are supposed to be educating people about hygiene. The hospital and the government need to be held accountable. Spending billions on the Metro and renovation of temples is needed but should come only after hospital renovation. OGH must have a good crematorium so that bodies can be disposed of efficiently.
— Padma Komanduri, Hyderabad
Hats off to DC for exposing OGH's mortuary. Thanks to the TS government for swinging into action and clearing the bodies. Now it is the workers who are working in this department who has to be taken care of. A photograph of the state of affairs after the clean-up would be appropriate.
— G. Vijay Kumar, Hyderabad
I agree with Mr Mohammed Ayub Mujahid that once the OGH was the best hospital in the state. But the question is why is the hospital not maintained properly? Is it due to lack of funds? Whatever the reasons may be, it is a big shame on the part of governments that they are not maintaining OGH properly.
— Syed Amjad Ali, Secunderabad
