Body rots due to mortuary glitch, doctors attacked

Vadodara: A body kept at the SSG Hospital mortuary pending the arrival of the deceased's US-based relatives was found badly decomposed within around 36 hours, triggering a major ruckus and assault on hospital staff on Wednesday. The woman, 78-year-old Ranjan Vyas, died at a private hospital on Monday evening. As relatives were travelling from the US, the family requested that the cremation be delayed.Following formalities, the body was shifted to the SSG Hospital mortuary around 6.45pm on Monday, nearly two hours after death was recorded at 4.50pm, and placed in a cold storage cabinet meant to maintain temperatures between 2°C and 8°C.However, amid extreme ambient temperatures of 44–45°C, the unit allegedly developed a technical glitch affecting temperature regulation. The body was later shifted to another cabinet, but decomposition had already begun.When relatives arrived on Wednesday morning, they found the body swollen and decomposed, leading to outrage.Alleging negligence, a group of family members and supporters confronted hospital staff. The situation escalated into violence, with a doctor, two resident doctors and a servant attached to the forensic medicine department allegedly assaulted. The shirt of a doctor was torn during the attack.Police from Raopura police station rushed to the hospital and brought the situation under control. Hospital authorities have lodged a complaint against the attackers.SSG Hospital medical superintendent Dr Ranjan Aiyer attributed the incident to a technical fault rather than human error."We manage mortuary services as a social responsibility, and the cabinets have been installed with donor support. The unit where the body was kept developed a technical glitch and the required temperature could not be maintained. As soon as we detected the issue, the body was shifted," he said, adding that extreme heat may have contributed to overheating.Aiyer said a mob of nearly 50 people attacked doctors, including a woman resident. "This is a serious violation of the law. We have lodged a police complaint," he said.
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