Unclaimed dead bodies at a government hospital in Jharkhand's Palamau district were dumped in a septic tank by sweepers asked to arrange their last rites, a hospital employee said on Tuesday. Officials have promised to investigate.
"The unclaimed dead bodies are dumped in the septic tank after the post-mortem examination," Bablu, a mortuary attendant at the Sadar Hospital, told a local news channel.
"There is no provision to keep the dead bodies after post-mortem. The sweepers are paid Rs.500 for cremation of each unclaimed dead body but they dump it in a septic tank situated near in post-mortem house," he added.
State Health Secretary A.K. Sarkar expressed ignorance of such incidents. "I have come to know such a thing from you. We will look into the issue," Sarkar told the media.
Sources in health department say that there are no mortuaries in district hospitals where unclaimed dead bodies could be kept for some time, and there is no option but to dispose the bodies of before they begin to decay.
Sarkar said he would seek report from the districts and ensure that each hospital has a mortuary.