Unclaimed bodies push Kerala’s Thrissur MCH mortuary to the brink
The Thrissur Government Medical College Hospital mortuary is facing a severe storage crisis due to a backlog of 26 unclaimed bodies. Hospital authorities warn that the lack of space could disrupt essential post-mortem services and create logistical challenges for the district.
Why it matters
The inability to process unclaimed bodies highlights systemic failures in local administrative coordination and public health infrastructure.
A mounting backlog of unclaimed and unattended bodies has pushed the mortuary at Thrissur Government Medical College Hospital to the brink, leaving virtually no space to accommodate new bodies.
As many as 26 bodies, including those of people whose relatives have either not been traced or are unwilling to claim them, have been lying in the hospital mortuary for months awaiting cremation.
The hospital has a total storage capacity of 29 bodies in the forensic and emergency departments. With 26 chambers currently occupied, only a handful of spaces remain available to deal with fresh cases.
Hospital authorities said the delay in removing and cremating the bodies was the main reason for the crisis. Bodies that remain unclaimed require a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the police before they can be cremated. The responsibility for arranging the final rites rests with the respective local bodies.
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