PANJIM: Despite strict instructions to segregate regular bodies against the unclaimed/ unidentified corpses, the officials attached to the morgue of Goa Medical College allegedly mixed the remains of Januz Gonsalves with others, leading to the fiasco. Health Minister Vishwajit Rane has entrusted Health Secretary Ashok Kumar (IAS) with inquiring into the overall blunder and to submit a report to the government within 8 days.
“There is an inquiry on all this (allegations); it (facts) would come out in the report prepared by health secretary. We will know the role of the HoD (Forensic),” Rane told Herald when contacted on the alleged irregular manner in which bodies are preserved in the new mortuary at GMC.
The GMC, sources said, had created three categories for preserving the bodies at the time of the new morgue’s commissioning. However, defying the instructions and allotted cabinets, the department has allegedly been involved in mixing the bodies. “Bodies sent by government hospitals and those sent by the police are not properly preserved, and neither are the identified and unclaimed bodies kept separately,” said a GMC official wishing anonymity.
Suspended HoD Dr Edmund Rodrigues, in his report to the Dean Dr Pradeep Naik had informed that the inadvertent disposal of Junuz’s body was due to the body mixed-up. “Four bodies were to be disposed for which CCP had come to collect. One body out of the four that of Vishant Naik (Hospicio Hospital) age 42-45 years which was persevered initially in cabinet no 105 was later shifted to cabinet 228 and again was further shifted to cabinet 220 in view of non functioning of cold storage services.” The report quoted the suspended senior doctor’s statement to government. It is learnt that at the time of the disposal, the GMC did not follow the updated list of the bodies in the morgue.
This was followed by Dean’s report slamming the very serious lapse by officials in handing over the body without proper verification, and recommended high level independent inquiry.
The present inquiry is also likely to probe into partial non-functioning of the morgue.
