Decomposed bodies found on roof of medical college in Pakistan

In a tale of “sheer negligence”, decomposing bodies were found on the roof of Nishtar Hospital in Multan on Friday, prompting the provincial government to form a committee to investigate the matter.

On receiving reports of abandoned bodies on the hospital roof, the Punjab chief minister ordered his Adviser, Chaudhry Tariq Zaman Gujjar, to pay a surprise visit to the medical facility and submit a report after reviewing the situation, reports Pakistan media The Express Tribune.

Contrary to initial reports of the presence of 500 bodies, only four were there, as could be seen in a viral video of the CM adviser’s visit.

Some reports claim that the Nishtar Medical University (NMU) administration was worried about the surprise visit and opening of the door of the hospital’s roof.

According to a spokesperson for NMU, four sets of human remains were found on the roof, all largely decomposed.

Additional Chief Secretary Capt (retd) Saqib Zafar directed Specialised Healthcare Secretary Muzamil Bashir to look into the incident.

He also formed a six-member team to investigate the matter.

Bashir is the convener of the committee, while members include Prof Dr Masood Rauf Haraj of the NMU, Assistant Professor Anatomy Dr Shafiqullah Chaudhry, Senior Medical Officer Dr Muhammad Arfan Arshad and one representative each from the deputy commissioner and the city police officer of Multan.

The committee will present its report within three days.

Acting NMU vice chancellor Prof Dr Mahnaz Khakwani also formed a three-member inquiry committee, which included Prof Dr Abbas Naqvi, Dr Ghulam Mustafa and Dr Tariq Pirzada.

According to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the home department, a letter was sent to the central police office for the burial of the bodies.

The South Punjab Services and General Administration Department sent a letter to the Nishtar Hospital medical superintendent, demanding that the incident of the dumped bodies be thoroughly investigated.

However, it is important to mention that dead bodies are also used for medical study.

Anatomy Department chief Dr Maryam Ashraf, while talking to The Express Tribune, said the unidentified bodies brought by police were chemically treated and stored in the freezer, provided the process of decomposition had not started.

She added that if nobody claimed a body for a month, the police were informed about it and it was used for teaching students, according to the prevailing norms of the home and health departments.

Dr Maryam said some bodies were brought to the hospital in such a state that the process of decomposition had already set in and it was impossible to keep them in the mortuary.

“These corpses are kept in rooms built on the roof for many years and after complete putrefaction, their skeletons are removed and cleaned with chemicals for teaching purposes. This process is not illegal,” she added.

Additionally, some bodies are so badly decomposed that they cannot be used even for teaching purposes.

After the bones are removed, these bodies are buried as per the SOPs.

The NMU spokesperson said the bodies found on the hospital roof were buried by the police station concerned, while investigations were underway about them.

Sources claimed that the unidentified abandoned bodies found on the roof of the hospital were brought by the police and placed on the roof, while the anatomy department staff delayed placing them in their designated rooms.

Dr Maryam maintained that the practice of putrefying bodies on the roof of NMU would continue until the SOPs changed. She added that the incident was an attempt to politicise the issue.

“We have cold storage where we keep bodies. The police bring unidentified bodies to the hospital. The decomposition process in these bodies has already begun. These bodies are kept in rooms on the roof. All of this is done in accordance with the guidelines of the home and health departments. The impression of 500 or 5,000 bodies being present [on the hospital roof is entirely incorrect,” she added.

However, the CM’s adviser expressed anger with the practices of NMU’s Anatomy Department.

On seeing the bodies, he said such desecration would not be tolerated under any circumstances.

He directed that arrangements should be made immediately to ensure that no bodies were thrown on the roof.

“The abandoned dead should be buried,” he concluded.