On June 16 (Wednesday), the family of a 65-year-old woman went to the mortuary of a private hospital in Kerala’s Palakkad district to take her body for cremation. However, they were in for a shock when they saw the woman, Sundari’s body. There were injury marks on her cheeks and nose. According to the family, rodents nibbled at her body when it was kept in the mortuary of the private hospital in Pattambi, Palakkad. Following the incident on June 16 (Wednesday), Kerala Health Minister Veena George sought a report from the Palakkad District Medical Officer (DMO).

Sundari was admitted to the hospital two days ago due to a heart ailment. She, however, passed away on June 15 (Tuesday), her relatives told reporters. "Since we do not have space at our home, we wanted the hospital to keep the body. The authorities kept the body in the mortuary. However, when we reached the hospital today (June 16) to take the body, the face was covered. When asked the hospital officials, they informed us that rodents had eaten it away," a relative alleged.

After the Kerala Health Minister sought a report, the DMO visited the hospital and enquired. "There was a lapse on the part of the hospital. Although we did not find any evidence, they admitted the face was disfigured. We will file a report to the Health Minister," the DMO told media. 

The body was cremated the same day. Meanwhile, the Pattambi police told TNM that they have registered a case in the matter, based on the complaint of the family.

A similar incident was reported in Uttar Pradesh in May 2021. Rats and ants gnawed at the unclaimed body of a 32-year-old woman. The body was kept in the mortuary of a hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh. The body was left in the mortuary for almost four days as neither the health officials conducted the post-mortem nor the police could ascertain the identity of the deceased. 

(With input from PTI)