Noida’s only autopsy unit has just one functional freezer

Several complaints about the non-functional freezers finally prodded the health department into action and one of the four freezers at the facility was made operational after repairs on Monday

Lack of facilities at the postmortem house in Sector 94 of Noida, the lone such facility in the district, is resulting in delays in conducting autopsies besides causing major inconvenience to the public and the police personnel who are deputed at the postmortem house along with corpses.

The freezers for storing bodies have been out of order for a long time, and for want of a better alternative, corpses were being kept outside the facility, said police sources. (HT Photo)

Many visitors said In the absence of a separate waiting room, policemen/family members are forced to wait outside the facility even in adverse weather conditions. Most importantly, the freezers for storing bodies have been out of order for a long time, and for want of a better alternative, corpses were being kept outside the facility, said police sources.

Several complaints about the non-functional freezers finally prodded the health department into action and one of the four freezers at the facility was made operational after repairs on Monday. The staff at the postmortem house, which has been functional since 2004, said one freezer can accommodate four bodies.

Chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Sunil Kumar Sharma said, “We recently inspected the place and ensured that the freezers are repaired. Currently, one of the four freezers has become fully functional. The other three too will be repaired at the earliest.”

“There is no waiting space for the police personnel or family members here. Instead, we are forced to remain outside in the scorching heat or sit in vehicles,” said a police constable, asking not to be named.

Everyone accompanying the body, even grieving family members, have to sit in the open or wait on the road, said the policeman.

A police personnel deputed on duty at the facility alleged that the situation has been pathetic for a long time and it has slightly improved over the past few years. “Until a few years ago, the situation here was even worse than this, and things have slightly improved now. Earlier, one could not even stand here for more than a minute because of the poor upkeep,” he said.

Heath department officials said six to eight bodies arrive at the post mortem house in Sector 94 daily. The corpses also include unidentified bodies, which have to be mandatorily stored at the facility for 72 hours before it is cremated, in case any family member turns up to claim it.

“We usually wait outside on the road or wait in our vehicle till the autopsy is done. The situation has been the same since a long time,” said Pramod Kumar, station house officer, Sector 126, under whose jurisdiction the postmortem house falls.

“The compressor of one freezer had a fault and we addressed it. The technicians are currently trying to fix the other three,” said Ravinder Thakur, the contractor carrying out the repair works.