Cuttack: Bodies are being left to rot at the mortuary of Sriram Chandra Bhanja Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH) here as all the six freezers at the facility are lying defunct.
Stench from the mortuary has been causing inconvenience to patients and attendants at the Dermatology department, Diarrhoea ward and Anatomy department of the hospital. Moreover, the workers at the post-mortem room of SCBMCH and a bio-waste treatment plant at the hospital are being forced to bear with the foul smell from the mortuary, sources said.
Earlier, the hospital authorities kept bodies at an old mortuary near the blood bank on the premises of SCBMCH. There were allegations that some unscrupulous employees of the hospital used to charge money from people to preserve the bodies of their near and dear ones.
The employees were keeping bodies on the floor of the mortuary if relatives of the deceased persons could pay the amount.
“The mortuary employees were charging up to Rs 2,000 to keep a body in the freezer. Several bodies were rotting on the mortuary floor as the relatives of the deceased failed to bribe the employees. The unhygienic atmosphere near the blood bank had caused severe resentment among the blood bank employees and the common people,” said a source in the hospital.
Taking the issue seriously, the hospital authorities constructed a new mortuary in front of the Anatomy department in 2016. A private entity had donated six freezers to the mortuary.
However, all the six freezers at the mortuary have turned defunct at least six months ago, sources said.
“At least six bodies could be kept inside the freezers at the new mortuary. A few unscrupulous employees had tried to damage some of the freezers so that they could collect money for preserving bodies,” said a senior doctor on conditions of anonymity.
SCBMCH superintendent CBK Mohanty said they have started repairing the freezers at the hospital mortuary. “The process would be completed within a couple of days. Henceforth, the Public Works department would carry out all repair work at the mortuary,” Mohanty added.