126 cadavers issued to pvt medical colleges

[Atul Patankar]

As reported at www.expressbuzz.com on 28 March 2009

KOCHI: Health and Social Welfare Minister P K Sreemathi has either lied in the State Assembly or is completely ignorant about what is transpiring in her department.

The revelation that the Ernakulam General Hospital has issued 126 cadavers to private medical colleges since 2004 discloses that the Minister was thoroughly wrong in her statement. With elections round the corner, the UDF is all set to take up the issue.

Answering a submission by V D Satheesan MLA, Sreemathi said in the Assembly on February 19, 2009 that ‘government medical colleges and hospitals have issued no cadavers to private medical colleges’.

However, information obtained from the Ernakulam General Hospital under the RTI Act clearly states that 126 cadavers were issued to private medical colleges since 2004.

The Minister had further said that as per a new notification issued in last December, self-financing medical colleges can approach the Health Department for cadavers by remitting a specific fee. She further said that only Karakkonam Medical College had approached so far. In drastic contradiction to the Minister’s statement, it is revealed (under the RTI ) that cadavers were issued to private medical colleges during the period from 2004 to January 31, 2009.

“The order (mentioned by the Minister) was issued by Health and Family and Family Welfare secretary Dr Vishwas Mehta in December. Therefore, how can the General Hospital issue cadavers to private medical colleges from 2004?” asked M K Haridas, president of ‘Proper Channel’, the organisation which obtained the information under the RTI Act.

The order notified the superintendents of five medical colleges and general hospitals in Ernakulam and Thalassery and in seven other districts where mortuary facilities are available as authorised offices under the Anatomy Act 1957 to collect unclaimed bodies.

Speaking to the ‘Express’, Dr Mehta said that any private medical college notified under the Anatomy Act can obtain cadavers for teaching purposes from government hospitals. “With more medical institutions coming up, there’s an increase in the demand for cadavers. However, only those institutions notified under the Anatomy Act can obtain them from government hospitals,” he pointed out. However, he said he was not aware of the statement made by the Minister in the Assembly. Meanwhile, the UDF is all set to rake up the issue. “The Minister said that no government hospital has issued cadavers to private medical colleges so far.

With the new information coming out on the giving of 126 bodies by the Ernakulam General Hospital, we’ll take up the issue. We’ll ask for action against the Minister for misguiding the Assembly as per Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Assembly,” said Satheesan MLA.

Source: 126 cadavers issued to pvt medical colleges=