The cadaver cold storage unit at the sub-divisioanl hospital at Jeypore in Odisha's Koraput district is defunct for more than last 10 years now causing decomposition of several bodies.
"It is impossible to store bodies in the defunct cold chambers and flies swarm the bodies if kept outside. According to norms, it is mandatory to keep unidentified bodies for at least three days to be identified by the family but due to non-availability of cold storage bodies cannot be preserved," said sub-divisional medical officer (Jeypore) D B Tripathy.
Sometimes police bring unidentified bodies for autopsy and after post-mortem a body should be kept at the cadaver cold storage for at least three days to be identified.
Also, police personnel take two days to do paperwork of unidentified bodies. So, when the bodies are kept in open, they decompose.
Officials said the rate of decomposition increases in summer.
Interestingly the freezer developed technical snag in as early as in 2005.
Koraput District Collector Jaya Kumar V said he would look into the matter.
"Required steps will be taken to ensure that the hospital gets a cadaver cold storage unit at the earliest," the Collector said.
Officials of the hospital said the facility should have 24-hour uninterrupted power supply.
"We have urged (power utility) Southco to provide a special uninterrupted power supply connection to the hospital. At present, during power cuts the operation theatre is lighted with the help of invertors while most wards are plunged in darkness," Tripathy said.
