Forensic docs at mortuaries take all safety precautions

Asif Yar Khan

Hyderabad 10.04.2020

Forensic medicine doctors conducting autopsy in medico-legal cases are taking extra safety precautions in view of the outbreak of the pandemic.

To prevent any possible risks, the forensic doctors are now wearing full Personal Protective Equipment to minimise exposure to biological agents while attending the cases. On an average, a team of doctors and post-graduation students headed by a senior professor conduct more than 10 post mortem examinations on bodies at the Osmania General Hospital and Gandhi Hospital every day.

“After the Covid-19 surfaced in India, we are taking extra precautions to protect ourselves. In some cases, the fact that a person was Covid-19 positive came to be known only after death,” said Prof Mohd Taqiuddin Khan, Head of Department of Forensic Medicine, Osmania Medical College. He said all the doctors and post-graduation students have been briefed about the precautions to be taken. “The scope of contracting the virus is more during postmortem examination of bodies specially while checking the lungs or nose. So extra care is being taken,” he said.

Prof Khan said all the assisting staff in the mortuary were asked to take the required precautions while handling unknown bodies wherein the reason of the death is unclear, adding, cleaning up of the mortuaries was being done.