Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Alla Kalikrishna Srinivas (Nani) inspected the District Government Headquarters Hospital here on Saturday and inquired into the case of rodents eating away soft parts of a body preserved in the mortuary.
A 35-year-old man of Lingapalem village in West Godavari district died in a road accident. The body was preserved in the Government Headquarters Hospital at Eluru on January 28. However, rodents reportedly chewed up the soft parts of the face and body.
Family members and the mortuary staff noticed the disfigurement the next day. Details of the disfigurement was published in some newspapers the following day. Responding to the news, the Deputy Chief Minister, along with Collector Revu Mutyala Raju, MLC Ramu Suryarao, District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO) Dr. Subramanyeswari, District Coordinator of Hospital Services (DCHS) Dr. Shankar Rao and Hospital Superintendent Dr. A.S. Ram visited the hospital.
Officials pulled up
The Minister inquired about the facilities in the mortuary and questioned the workers on how rodents could enter the mortuary. The staff explained that some fridges were not working in the mortuary and were damaged.
Mr. Srinivas, while expressing concern over the incident, pulled up the officials for their negligence. He directed the Collector to conduct an inquiry into the incident, which exposed the poor facilities in the government hospital mortuary.
“I am very much moved by the incident and I express my apologies to the bereaved family members. We will take measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents in government hospitals,” the Health Minister said.
Collector conducts inquiry
Later, Mr. Mutyala Raju along with Andhra Pradesh Vaidya Vidhana Parishad (APVVP) Commissioner Dr. Ramakrishna visited the District Government Headquarters Hospital and conducted an inquiry.
When the staff said that only one of four fridges meant to keep cadavers were in working condition, the Collector asked why repairs were not done to the defunct fridges.
Speaking to The Hindu, the Collector said that the incident was unfortunate and a report would be submitted to the government on the incident in a day or two. “Action would be taken against the negligent medical officials and employees and the private staff who are responsible . Instructions have been given to maintain sanitation in the mortuary,” Mr. Mutyala Raju said.
