Rajawadi Hospital post-mortem centre repair works on track: State tells SHRC

The state government and civic authorities on Tuesday assured the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) that improvement of facilities at Rajawadi Hospital post-mortem centre was on track

MUMBAI: The state government and civic authorities on Tuesday assured the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) that improvement of facilities at Rajawadi Hospital post-mortem centre was on track.

Rajawadi Hospital post-mortem centre repair works on track: State tells SHRC

The commission had taken up a suo motu cognisance of the matter after a slew of reports appeared in media regarding the sorry state of the post-mortem centre. HT had highlighted the matter in its issue dated October 11.

The centre lacked a facility for grieving families to wait, including working toilets and drinking water. The room that was supposed to be the waiting area was stuffed with construction material, rendering it unusable. Several parts of the ceiling were falling off.

In view of this, the commission had sought a reply from the authorities, including the state home department that runs the post-mortem centre, the state health department and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The authorities apprised the commission about various repair works going on at the centre currently.

Police surgeon Dr Kapil Patil, who is in-charge of the state-run post-mortem centres of the city, had ordered a fire and safety audit of the centres at JJ Hospital, Cooper Hospital, Rajawadi Hospital, Siddharth Hospital and Bhagwati Hospital in October 2022.

“At Rajawadi Hospital, the requirement was to repair the main entrance gate, waiting room, meter room, AC room, underground water tank and the mortuary assistant’s room. This was notified to the BMC, and they had sought funds under the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY),” the police representative informed the commission.

Subsequently, a funding ₹1.5 crore was allotted by the district collector for the civil works to be undertaken at the centre. Construction work was started in January, the commission was told.

Dr Patil confirmed that development. “We told them about the ongoing repair work that we expect to be finished in the next four months as well as other improvements that we plan to bring to the facility in the coming years,” he said. Accepting the representation of the authorities, the commission closed the case.

The post-mortem centre at Rajawadi Hospital came into existence in 1988, with the erstwhile coroner’s court working out of the same premises. After the coroner’s court was shut in 1999, the post-mortem centre was expanded to the floor above it. The last big repair work was undertaken at the building in 2019 on the instructions of the then police surgeon Dr SM Patil. At that time a fund of ₹52 lakh was allocated, but only ₹32 lakh was utilised.