Mortuaries at govt hospitals in poor state

Cry for attention

• a number of mortuaries in the state are in a dilapidated condition and require immediate renovation, while some of them even lack freezers to keep the bodies
• Two of the four freezers at Sub-Divisional Hospital, Samrala, are not working. There is no freezer available at the mortuary in Sub-Divisional Hospital, Gidderbaha. The building too needs renovation

Archiot Watts
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, July 24

As per the official records recently uploaded on the Health Department’s official website, a number of mortuaries in the state are in a dilapidated condition and require immediate renovation, while some of them even lack freezers to keep the bodies.

Perusal of the records revealed that the mortuary at the Civil Hospital, Bathinda, needed renovation of building. The Sub-Divisional Hospital (SDH), Talwandi Sabo, requires two freezers to store bodies. The District Hospital, Faridkot, also required freezers. Freezers at the Community Health Centre (CHC), Bassi Pathana, were not working and it required a genset. The mortuary of SDH, Nakodar, and SDH, Phillaur, too needed renovation. Two of the four freezers at SDH, Samrala, too were not working. There was no freezer available at the mortuary in SDH, Gidderbaha. The building too needed renovation and electrical fittings.

The mortuary of SDH, Malout, also required renovation. The mortuary of SDH, Nabha, required a double body freezer, a genset and an air-conditioner. There was not even a single freezer available at the mortuary of SDH, Sunam, and SDH, Dhuri. The condition of mortuary building at SDH, Patti, was also poor.

The mortuary building at CHC, Lambi, has not yet been handed over to the Health Department and the work is stalled midway. Dr Sukhpal Singh, Deputy Medical Commissioner, Muktsar, said, “We are yet to take over the building from the PWD (B&R) officials as some work is lying pending.”

Dr Gurpal Singh, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Faridkot, said, “We don’t keep the bodies in Civil Hospital, Faridkot, and send all to the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital.”

Dr RL Bassan, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Jalandhar, said, “We have sent the report about requirements of hospitals to the higher-ups. As soon as we will get funds, the work will be started.”

Courtesy: The Tribune