Tamil Nadu - Tirunelveli   

Post-mortem facility in poor state

Staff Reporter

People forced to take bodies for several kilometres for autopsy

TIRUNELVELI: When the body of A. Antony Kumar (51) of Thomaiyarpuram, a coastal hamlet under the Koodankulam Police Station limits, was recovered from the sea, it had to be taken all the way to Nanguneri for post-mortem. Though such a facility is available at Radhapuram, 10 km away, the extra journey added up to a distance of 50 km.

The dilapidated structure housing post-mortem facility, situated amidst thorny bushes near Radhapuram, has remained unused for the past few years.

The Department of Health established the facility at Radhapuram, Panagudi and Valliyoor as the public were forced to take the bodies of their kin to Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital for autopsy.

However, the dwindling strength of doctors at the Primary Health Centres in these areas forced the official machinery to close down the post-mortem facilities one after another.

In case of any accident, either on the busy Tirunelveli - Nagercoil National Highway or at sea, the bodies have to be taken either to Nanguneri, TVMCH here or Nagercoil.

Representations forwarded yielded no results, people complain.

"The poor fishermen and other families have to shell out a minimum of Rs. 4,000 (for hiring a vehicle) to take the bodies for post-mortem to Nanguneri or Nagercoil. If it can be done at Radhapuram, it will cost them only Rs. 1,500. Whenever we recover a corpse from sea after 24 or 48 hours of the accident, the body is in a bad state.

It is not possible to take it to far off places," says F. Navison Leon of Idinthakarai.

He and his friends took the body of Antony Kumar to Nanguneri on February 21 for autopsy.

The Radhapuram MLA, M. Appavu, said that a sum of Rs. 1.25 crore has been allocated by the World Bank to upgrade the Government Hospital at Radhapuram. Modernising exercise, including establishing a post-mortem facility, would commence within next 90 days.

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