In Goa, the dead can’t rest in peace

In Goa, the dead can’t rest in peace
Preetu Nair | TNN

Panaji: He died alone, but after death he found company.
On May 4, the Agacaim police brought an unidentified body of a middle aged man to the morgue at Goa Medical College, Bambolim, which was laid at the entrance there being no space in the morgue. By Tuesday morning, there were two more bodies to keep this one company and all lay decomposing till the next day.
Luckily for them, they got space in the morgue on Wednesday evening as six bodies were removed by the Goa police to perform the last rites.
Incharge of the forensic department Dr EJ Rodrigues doesn’t deny the problem. “There is a shortage of compartments but we do our best to accommodate,” said Dr Rodrigues.
And they do it either by keeping two bodies in a compartment or keeping them outside. Investigations reveal that about six compartments of the morgue had two bodies each. Besides, which daily three or four bodies lie in the open.
Even as the state prides itself in rapid modernization and exponential sophistication in the health sector, it denies the dead its sanctity. Until the last rites are performed, the dead just can’t rest with peace, dignity and respect, there being no place at the morgue.
Though the morgue at the GMC has a capacity of 35, currently just 28 compartments are in working condition. Of these, 21 bodies have occupied the space for quite sometime, leaving just seven compartments free for new cases. Everyday at least 10 new bodies arrive at the morgue.
Besides the bodies sent for autopsy by the Goa police and those who breathe their last in the GMC, other cadavers are also brought to the morgue. “Most of the private hospitals don’t have their own morgue. Besides, the cost of keeping the body in the morgue at GMC is only Rs 100 a day,” said an official from GMC.
“The problem would be solved once the old cold storage having a capacity of 31 compartments is repaired and reinstalled,” added Dr Rodrigues.
2008 May 09 Times Of India Goa