Margao: Seventeen unclaimed bodies are occupying space in two of Goa’s major hospitals—South Goa District Hospital and Goa Medical College (GMC)—creating a bottleneck in the state’s mortuary system, Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira revealed on Friday.
Growing Mortuary Management Issues
Sequeira announced plans to seek funds for the proper disposal of these bodies. The crisis stems from municipal authorities failing to fulfill their duty of handling unclaimed bodies, despite government funds being allocated for the task.
With municipalities unresponsive, the burden has fallen on the police and hospital mortuaries, which have limited storage capacity. A police official highlighted the challenges, stating, “The police have no funds, yet they are made to suffer and run from one government hospital to another to preserve the corpses.”
Impact on Law Enforcement
The backlog has hampered police operations, making it difficult to store newly discovered unidentified bodies. Law enforcement officials are urging the government to intervene and find a long-term solution to the growing mortuary crisis.
