Superintendent among 4 suspended after stray dogs maul body at Jadcherla Hospital mortuary

Hyderabad: In a shocking incident, a deceased man’s body was allegedly mauled by stray dogs inside the mortuary of the Government General Hospital in Jadcherla, Telangana, triggering outrage and prompting swift administrative action.

Following the incident, the hospital's Superintendent, the Resident Medical Officer (RMO), a duty medical officer and the Mortuary Nursing Officer (MNO) were suspended.

According to the news reports, the deceased, a resident of Nagasala village, had left home one morning and did not return. Days later, his body was recovered from a pond in Jadcherla mandal and transported by police to the local government hospital for post-mortem examination.

However, instead of being preserved with dignity, the body was reportedly placed on the floor of the mortuary. The facility did not have functioning freezer units. During this lapse, stray dogs entered the mortuary and mauled the corpse before staff returned.

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The incident quickly gained attention after eyewitnesses raised an alarm and images circulated on social media. By Sunday evening, the matter had reached the office of Telangana Health Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha.

According to the South First, “Health Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha expressed anger over the incident at Jadcherla Area Hospital. Acting on the minister’s directions, Medical Services Council Commissioner Dr Ajay Kumar visited the hospital on Monday morning and launched an inquiry,” the health minister said in a statement. “He collected statements from the deceased’s family members, police officials, eyewitnesses, doctors, and hospital staff,” the statement read.

Following the preliminary inquiry, four hospital staff members were suspended for alleged negligence. Those suspended include the hospital superintendent, the duty Resident Medical Officer, a duty medical officer, and a mortuary support staff member.

The commissioner stated that strict measures would be implemented to prevent such incidents in the future.

As per legal and medical norms in India, government hospitals are responsible for preserving bodies with dignity and ensuring proper custody until they are handed over to families. The absence of functioning freezer units and adequate security at the mortuary has raised serious concerns about infrastructure and oversight.

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