CMCH morgue in grip of hustlers

Imagine a fatal accident- someone you know just lost his or her life. Painstakingly relatives follow the process, go to a police station for the initial scrutiny and obtain an inquest report.

Now onto the hospital for an autopsy. The moment you enter the morgue premises with the body, two to three people would walk up to you and take it inside. Tired, you relax, hoping it is part of the procedure.

Afterwards, one of them will ask money for the autopsy performed.

By the time you end up paying the hefty amount, you did not even realise, an autopsy is supposed to be free of cost.

This is a regular scene at Chittagong Medical College (CMC), where an autopsy often costs between Tk 5,000 and Tk 15,000.

The service receivers continue to suffer and are forced to pay a huge amount that ends up in the pockets of the unscrupulous and fraudulent hustlers and corrupt hospital staff, while the authorities turn a blind eye.

Mohammed Bacchu, a construction-site caretaker, recently brought the body of fellow mason Mashrafi, who was beaten to death on February 24. He was asked Tk 12,000 for an autopsy.

"When I asked for a receipt, they threatened not to stitch the body properly. It was released for Tk 10,000," said Bacchu.

Md Manik, from Kishoreganj, came for his brother Md Alam's body, a day labourer in Chittagong city. He committed suicide on February 28. The next day, Manik was charged Tk 14,000 as morgue and post-mortem bills.

"The people who were asking for money were going in and out of the morgue without any restrictions and were handling everything. So I thought this was the procedure," he said over telephone.

Both were duped by the "morgue syndicate" in CMCH.

Although the service is provided under the forensic medicine department of CMC, around four years ago the temporary dead house of the hospital was shifted there as per an internal decision. 

The forensic department is manned by Sudangshu and Kodom Ali, two employees (Member of Lower-hand Subordinate Staff) of CMC; the temporary dead house, on the other hand, by hospital staff Shamol Das and Ratan Kumar Mali.

This temporary morgue has become a haven for the hustlers, according to the insiders.

Visiting the morgue for the last two months, this correspondent found three outsiders, Selim, Haris and Modhu, regularly performing their "duties".

The officially appointed employees were occasionally seen. When anybody entered the premises, one of the three approached, identifying themselves as hospital staff.

"There's no signboard describing the process or the service provided," said Delwar Hossain, a private ambulance driver, who regularly brings bodies from Lohagara upazila.

He brought two bodies, one on March 18, and the other a week ago, and the families were charged Tk 5,000 each for autopsies, he alleged.

Morgue-man Sudanghsu said they receive the bodies with documents of police inquests only. "We do not charge for post-mortems, only for preserving the body at the air-conditioned room, which is Tk 1,000 a day, and that too is taken with a receipt."

"We have heard about some irregularities. We have nothing to do with the body until it comes to our staff with a proper inquest report. If the middlemen negotiate or intercept them beforehand, then we can not do anything," said Dr Syed Mohammed Kashem, associate professor, and head of the forensic medicine department.

"I have repeatedly told the OC of Panchlaish Police Station about the outsiders and asked to arrest them. Police suggested that we catch them instead and hand them over. But we do not have enough manpower for that," he said.

"If the temporary dead house is shifted to the hospital then the problem would be solved for the most part," he stressed. 

Contacted, Mohiuddin Mahmood, officer-in-charge of Panchlaish, said, "We had arrested a middleman named Sagar and took legal actions against him a year ago. We also told the CMC authorities that if they have heard about any middleman, then catch them and inform us. I also suggested bringing the premises under closed circuit TV cameras. But they did not follow the suggestions. It is not possible for me to stay at the morgue all the time to catch the middlemen."

Md Didarul Islam, assistant director (administration) of CMCH, said they would take action against their staff if there is any "specific allegation'" with proof. He too said dual administration in the morgue premises by CMC and CMCH is a major problem.

Modhu, Haris and Selim, however, denied taking money forcefully from the relatives of the deceased.

"We just help people. We help them carrying the body from the vehicle, take it inside the morgue and buy necessary materials like plastics and treads. In return, people at times give us tips as per their wish. We do not force anyone to pay any stipulated amount," said Modhu.

Haris and Selim claimed that they were officially appointed, and they take money as service charge and materials and medicine cost.

CMCH employees Shamol and Ratan denied their involvement in charging the service takers. Asked about the three appointed by them, the duo denied it and also claimed they are hospital staff.

But the assistant director (admin) of CMCH said the three were not appointed by them.

Constables Saidul Islam and Shah Alam of Pahartali and Lohagara police stations, who brought bodies several times to the morgue, denied witnessing any such incidents of hustlers taking money.

Autopsies of 233 bodies have been done at the morgue from January to April 4 this year, according to the forensic department sources.