Rats gnaw on corpse in Jamshedpur MGM Hospital mortuary

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, April 11: Rats had gnawed on a dead body kept outside the freezer at the MGM Hospital mortuary. The incident sparked anger among family members of the deceased They attempted to create chaos on the hospital premises.

The event occurred after 45-year-old Shyam Singh, a resident of Mango Daiguttu Krishna Road, passed away shortly after being admitted to MGM Hospital with a headache complaint. Subsequently, his body was stored in the hospital mortuary. However, due to a lack of available freezer space, Shyam’s body was kept outside. Upon the family’s return to collect the body, they discovered that rats had chewed on the toes of the left foot.

Hospital Superintendent Ravindra Kumar intervened, pacifying the family members who later left with the body. Dr Kumar explained that due to insufficient freezer space, the body had been placed on the ground with the AC activated.

MGM Hospital’s mortuary, equipped with 12 deep freezers, faced issues with seven of them lying damaged. Consequently, bodies were stored in four out of five refrigerators. Superintendent Ravindra Kumar attributed the incident to space constraints, stating that despite informing the family of the situation, they insisted on keeping the body outside.

Instances of rats gnawing on dead bodies are not uncommon in hospitals, and the hospital administration had previously addressed such concerns by issuing tenders for rat extermination. While the problem was partially resolved, sporadic incidents persisted over time.