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Rajiv Sharma
November 12: For medical and paramedical staff attached to the eight autoposy centres in Mumbai, HIV is an occupational hazard. In the absence of vital protective gear like gloves, gowns, masks, goggles and even shoes, cutters performing autopsies have to walk that thin edge between duty and fatal disease every time a body lands up for a post-mortem.
In the last week of September, a cutter of the autopsy centre of JJ Hospital died of AIDS. Babu Ganpat Belane, a cutter at the hospital for the last 20 years, performed post-mortems of HIV infected cases. Belane was diagnosed as being HIV positive about nine years ago, and he breathed his last in September after being admitted to JJ Hospital for about two weeks, said Mama Mukadam, his colleague at the centre.
The dean of JJ Hospital, Dr AC Mohanty, who is also a forensic expert, confirmed that Babu had died of AIDS. Since he died in service, one of his family members will be given a job with the government, informed Mohanty.
But for many cutters, suchmeasures may come too late. Mohan Kumar, who has been a cutter at JJ for 15 years, said they have been demanding basic protective gear as they can never be sure if a body is HIV-infected. But often, cutters end up washing and reusing the same pair of gloves and gown after every post mortem, he said.
A senior doctor attached to the Cooper Post-mortem Centre, Juhu revealed that with the abolition of the Coroners Act, 1871, bodies that are found by the road have to be taken up for an autopsy. Since most of the victims are beggars and slum dwellers, the chances of them being infected are higher. In such a situation, it is very important that along with providing facilities, the staff should also be trained in handling infected material like blood, lungs and other organs, the doctor said.
The post mortem examination is a vital investigative tool for the police and it is of utmost importance to maintain the quality of work, added a senior forensic expert at KEM Hospital. Authorities need to ensure that autopsystaff do not have to scrounge for basic facilities like bottles for preserving the viscera and blood sent for chemical analyses, he added.
The recent move to start autopsy work at five more centres makes it all the more necessary to provide enough staff and incentives for them. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is considering a proposal to give Rs 250 per post mortem to the entire team, but the state government has been sitting on similiar demands made by the employees, sources said.
``Life is hell for us, and we are unsure how long we will live''' commented a cutter. The condition at mortuaries is unhygenic, and to bear the stink of decomposed bodies, cutters and body lifters often drink heavily before reporting to work. Most of the cutters are, in fact, sweepers and ward boys who have been working with the autopsy centres for years, said sources.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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