Red tape is unwilling to allow the dead to rest in peace in Ranchi.
A new mortuary was built for more than a crore at state-run RIMS last year, but nobody is certain when the facility that can preserve 50 bodies will become operational. The grapevine has it that although formalities of handover may get over by middle of May, the hospital management is reluctant to adopt responsibility of a new wing in the absence of adequate manpower.
The single-storey building sprawls over 3,000sqm near the power substation on the premises of the Bariatu-based hospital and still wears its paint well. But, the gate has remained forever closed.
A RIMS employee from the forensic medicine and toxicology department, which is barely half a kilometre away from the mortuary, said the new building was largely neglected.
"The old mortuary can store 30 bodies at any given time, but we receive at least two unclaimed corpse every day. If these are not disposed of at regular intervals, we face problems. We are often unable to offer the dead the dignity they deserve. The hospital management isn't doing anything to start the new mortuary," the employee said.
Another hospital attendant echoed him, saying the cooling mechanism at the old mortuary often conked out. "The building is old and AC fails often for want of maintenance. We are suffering for the past two days. Some bodies have started decomposing," he said.
RIMS director Dr B.L. Sherwal said the building construction department, which had executed the project, was yet to officially hand them over the mortuary.
"According to rules, RIMS can keep an unclaimed body only on request from the district administration and for a maximum of 72 hours. After that, it is the responsibility of the police or district officials concerned to arrange for its disposal. A bigger mortuary will actually help the administration handle bodies in better manner," Sherwal said. He clammed up when asked if RIMS was equipped in terms of manpower to handle a new responsibility.
Chief engineer of building construction Surendra Kumar, who holds additional charge as general manager (project) of Jharkhand State Building Construction Corporation, said the mortuary would be handed over to RIMS shortly.
"A year ago, when the Rs 1.14-crore project was completed, the department had tried to hand over the new building to RIMS, but it was reluctant. The hospital management said there was no proper approach road. I inspected the project on April 28. Shortcomings will be overcome within 10 days and the new mortuary handed over to RIMS," Kumar added.
Incidentally, the government hospital has the largest mortuary in Ranchi. Those at private hospitals may have better facilities, but are very low in capacity.
For instance, Medica super specialty hospital can keep only two bodies while Medanta has provisions for four and Guru Nanak hospital for three. Charges are applicable too unlike RIMS, where the facility is free. Medanta charges Rs 1,200 a day and Guru Nanak hospital Rs 1,000. The latter also offers mobile mortuaries.
Services at private hospitals are also often pre-booked. Last Saturday, after the demise of Harmu resident A.K. Choudhary, his family members approached Guru Nanak hospital for a mobile mortuary, but two of the three were occupied and the other defunct.
