Md Rayhanul Islam :
The Forensic Department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) is now in trouble with the unclaimed bodies, as their number has already exceeded the freezers’ limit. Moreover, the bodies of 13 militants are still lying with the DMCH.
According to the DMCH source, 12 freezers out of 20 are active. The eight others have gone disorder and there is no initiative to repair or to replace those. But the number of bodies sometimes exceeds as did this time.
The DMCH is the most important and one of the biggest public hospitals in the country. Bodies that need autopsy are generally brought here.
Documents show that on an average, four to five bodies are brought here every day. The DMCH morgue played a very crucial role during the times of big disasters like the BDR mutiny in 2009, the Tazreen Fashions Factory holocaust in 2012 and the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013.
Sohel Mahmud, Assistant Professor of Forensic Department of DMCH, said, we have 20 freezers for keeping bodies. But eight of them being unusable, the number of freezers decreased. As such, there are now 16 bodies in 12 freezers.
`After autopsy, the bodies are generally kept in the freezers. The militants’ bodies are also in the freezers. For this, we informed about it to the Principal of DMCH’, he added.
A morgue assistance said, “The facilities here are not enough. Unclaimed bodies, mostly from accidents and murders, are generally kept here until delivered to the relatives or to the Anjuman Mufidul Islam (a charity organization that takes care of unidentified bodies). But as the freezer is not working, we do not know what to do with the unclaimed bodies.”
When it becomes burden, we keep the body in the air-conditioned room. But the AC is not enough to protect the body from decomposing. We are using formalin and other chemicals for the purpose.
The DMCH authority issued a letter to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) for their decision about the 13 militants bodies.
DMP Deputy Commissioner, Masudur Rahman said, the families of 13 militants did not claim the bodies. After DNA test and court’s orders, we will hand over the bodies if families claim.
