A body, a Rs 1,500 demand, and a video: Questions at Gujarat hospital

‘Asking for a bribe’

Dr Ranjan Aiyer, Medical Superintendent, SSG Hospital, said the inquiry was constituted Friday and would be headed by resident medical officer Dr Hitendra Chauhan.

The inquiry headed by Dr Chauhan is expected to establish when the video was recorded, the circumstances surrounding the alleged demand, whether Rs 1,500 was sought as a condition for packing or handing over the body, and whether other staff members were involved.

Aiyer said the worker could be identified from the footage and described the video as “undeniable”.

The hospital administration said the alleged demand was an improper payment rather than a voluntary tip. “What was traditionally a tip given by families of deceased persons voluntarily has now turned into a rightfully demanded sum of money. In other words, it is asking for a bribe,” he said.

However, the hospital has not yet established when the video was recorded.

“We do not know when the present video was taken and how old it is. It could be an old video that has surfaced now, but an inquiry has been instituted, and steps will be taken to ensure that it does not happen again,” he said.

Previous complaints

The incident has also brought renewed attention to earlier complaints concerning workers in the post-mortem department.

“We have previously received complaints about the Class IV staff at the post-mortem department about bribes being asked for and the helpers being drunk on duty. However, there has never been proof to establish the allegations. This time, the video is present, and it cannot be denied that the bribe was sought. Therefore, it has been taken seriously, and an inquiry has been launched,” Aiyer said.

According to Aiyer, the outsourced workers help the forensic medicine department with handling bodies, including “washing and cleaning them, dealing with body fluids, packing viscera and preparing bodies for handover to relatives. “They are more like undertakers, ” he added.

Aiyer said that after previous complaints that families were asked to arrange or charged for the shroud, the hospital started providing it at the mortuary itself.

“The hospital now uses discarded PPE kits and zipper bags for packing bodies, while it also procures glass bottles for carrying viscera and wooden boxes for packing them before they are sent to forensic departments in Surat so that patients are not made to run around for them.”

The episode also highlights the staffing difficulties civic hospitals face in forensic medicine departments. “Finding helping staff for forensic medicine departments is a difficult task for the civic hospitals, as not many people want to work in this area,” he said.

The number of helping staff in the post-mortem department has fallen from six to five.