Unclaimed body left to rot in non-functioning freezer at mortuary for 3 days in MP’s Sagar; probe

An unclaimed body of a man was found infested with maggots in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district at a government-run hospital. The body was kept in a non-functioning freezer of the mortuary, where it remained unattended for three days.

District Collector Deepak Arya also formed a three-member committee for an inquiry into the matter. (Representational Image)

By Press Trust of India: The unclaimed body of a man was found infested with maggots after the staff of a government-run hospital in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district kept it in a non-functioning freezer of the mortuary, where it remained unattended for three days, officials said.

After the incident came to light on Tuesday, the block medical officer (BMO) was removed from the post and a show-cause notice was issued to him.

District Collector Deepak Arya also formed a three-member committee for an inquiry into the matter. The incident took place in the Civil Hospital of Bina town in Sagar district.

UNCLAIMED BODY FOUND

The unclaimed body of a man was found in Uraiya village in the district on the night of April 1, Bina police station in-charge Kamal Nigwal said on Wednesday.

The body was shifted to the Civil Hospital’s mortuary, where it was kept in a freezer after being duly informed to the employees concerned, he said.

The health employees, however, did not inform that the freezer was not working, Nigwal said.

On the other hand, BMO Sanjeev Agrawal said he was not informed by the employees concerned that the freezer was not working.

POST-MORTEM DELAYED

The post-mortem was delayed as the deceased could not be identified for three days, he said. Agrawal claimed the body was not fully rotten and maggots were seen on some of its parts.

However, after the issue came to his knowledge, the post-mortem was conducted on Tuesday, he said. Meanwhile, Chief Medical and Health Officer Mamta Timori said the BMO’s charge has been withdrawn from Agrawal after the incident.

A show-cause notice was also issued to him, she said. Taking cognisance of the issue, the district collector also formed a three-member committee for a probe into the matter.