Dead, but no morgue to lay BY GUILHERME ALMEIDA MARGAO, DEC 13(Herald) - If one was of the opinion that dead bodies from South Goa were routinely sent to the Goa Medical College hospital mortuary for preservation for want of space at the Hospicio morgue, think twice.
Space constraint may not exactly be the problem as is being portrayed. It has more to do with the newly-installed mortuary cabinets, lying dormant at the TB hospital atop Monte Hill. Despite the shocking revelation that three bodies decomposed last July, the Directorate of Health Services has done little to repair or replace the cabinets. Herald inquiries have revealed that the bodies got putrefied since the two cabinets recorded different temperatures of -15 and +4 degree celsius, thereby disrupting the cooling effect. Interestingly, of the two cabinets - installed in March this year at an approximate cost of Rs three lakh - one has been idle since March 19. The other cabinet has been vacant since last month, sources said. A joint inspection of the mortuary in September hasn't helped in putting the two cabinets in order. The PWD has made it amply clear to the health authorities that it's unsafe to place bodies in the cabinets till they are either repaired or replaced for the simple reason that the temperature required to store bodies ranges between 2 to 4 degree centigrade. Recently, TB hospital Medical Superintendent, Dr Ravindra S Nadkarni brought the matter to the notice of the DHS, but lamented that the concerned parties are yet to remedy the situation. Information indicates that the two mortuary cabinets were set up at TB hospital as the existing 12-unit mortuary at Hospicio proved to be insufficient. While the decision to install the new cabinets at TB hospital is surrounded by mystery, what is more surprising is the inaction by the concerned authorities to put the cabinets in order. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions | | | | Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages | | Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls | --------------------------------------------------------------------------
