Dead cold chambers at mortuary raise a stink

Malfunctions and permeating foul smell cast a shadow over MMC&RI’s Centenary Celebrations

Mysore/Mysuru: The countdown has commenced for the centenary celebrations of Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMC&RI) scheduled for September.

However, the prestigious educational institution finds itself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. The cold storage or cold chambers at the mortuary attached to MMC&RI on Irwin Road have ceased functioning, sparking criticism over its inefficient administrative practices.

For the past four months, two of the three cold storages — numbers 1 and 3 — with the capacity to accommodate six bodies each, totalling 18 bodies, have been out of order. Yet, there has been no indication of prompt repairs.

The mortuary staff, doctors assigned to conduct autopsies and the relatives of the deceased endure the unpleasant consequences, as the bodies emit a foul odour while stored in the freezers, intended to preserve them until claimed by their families.

Failures in compressors

Delving into the technical issues, the malfunctioning cold storages have experienced failures in their compressors, starting kits, vacuum systems and gas-charging equipment since January. As a result, the bodies within have decomposed, prompting staff members to resort to alcohol consumption to endure the noxious smell, albeit at the expense of their own health. Regrettably, many have contracted jaundice infections due to this practice.

In a letter addressed to the Dean and Director of MMC&RI dated May 7, the Institute’s Bio-Medical Engineer has urgently recommended the procurement of the aforementioned equipment and the servicing of the cold chambers to restore their functionality as soon as possible.

Following standard procedure, bodies classified as Medico Legal Cases (MLC) are sent to the mortuary for post-mortem examinations before being released to their families.

Arduous task to preserve bodies

Post-mortems for victims of fatal incidents such as accidents, suicides and cases of Unnatural Death Reports (UDR), including unidentified bodies, reported within both City and District Police limits, are conducted at this facility.

However, in the case of unidentified bodies, they are kept in cold storage for a minimum of four days until the identification process is completed by tracing their relatives.

With the cold storage currently undergoing repairs, storing bodies of drowning victims, particularly those recovered after two to three days in water, burn victims and highly decomposed bodies has become challenging.

The strong odour emitted from these bodies permeates a significant distance, exacerbating the already difficult situation. One must imagine the plight of the mortuary staff, confined within the four walls of the building, facing these circumstances.