Sohna Civil Hospital mortuary shut, families forced to shift bodies to city

PWD declared mortuary unsafe; families allege costly delays as bodies sent 25 km to Gurugram for autopsy while porta cabin facility is built.

With post-mortem examination services at Civil Hospital in Sohna suspended for months, families of patients alleged they are being forced to transport bodies to Gurugram for autopsy, officials and relatives said on Wednesday.

(Representative image) Health dept says roof leakage made facility unsafe; relatives of victims say bodies sent to Gurugram caused two-day delays in funerals. (PTI)

The hospital mortuary has been declared dilapidated by the Public Works Department (PWD), and a demolition estimate is being prepared to replace it with new infrastructure, Health Department officials said. In the meantime, a temporary facility is being built inside the hospital compound.

“We are aware of the problem, and a provisional facility will be established by the end of this month, ensuring smooth operations,” said Dr Alka Singh, chief medical officer (CMO) of Gurugram. Singh added, “I’ve personally visited the mortuary, and the roof was leaking, as the building had turned old. It was not safe for the medical staff to work in such conditions,” she said. A porta cabin-based setup is under construction, while plans for a new mortuary inside the compound are in the final stages.

Despite these assurances, families said they have been compelled to take bodies to Gurugram, about 25 km away. In one case, Vikas Kumar, 20, died of cardiac arrest at a Bhondsi construction site on Sunday. “We had to pay ambulance charges twice to get the body shifted to Sector-12 mortuary and then bring it back. Almost two days were consumed,” said his brother-in-law Rakesh Kumar.

Similarly, the body of a six-year-old girl crushed under an almirah on Monday was sent to the government mortuary near Sector-12 for autopsy. Her father, Phool Kumar, said, “Police told me the body needs to be taken for autopsy in the government mortuary in the city, as the facility was unavailable in Sohna hospital.”

Singh, however, said the department was not aware of any cases being referred to Gurugram in the past 10 days.