Amid cadaver remarks row, Karnataka to issue guidelines for students on respectful handling of donated bodies

Bengaluru: In the wake of a recent controversy over the alleged inappropriate remarks about cadavers made by the final year MBBS student of KEM Hospital, the Karnataka Government has decided to issue fresh guidelines to medical students on maintaining appropriate behaviour and showing respect towards bodies donated for medical education and research.

As per TOI media report, the state's ethics committee is scheduled to meet next week to discuss ways to reinforce existing guidelines and consider modifications related to students' conduct while handling donated bodies during anatomy training.

The controversy began during a crowd interaction segment at "The Ashleel Show", a live crowdwork comedy show performed and hosted by More, organised by The Laugh Store.

Also read- Doctors' body issues legal notice to comedian, event organiser in cadaver remarks row

At one interaction, the comedian reportedly asked the student whether doctors remain serious while handling cadavers during anatomy postings and post-mortem work.

Responding to this, the concerned medico allegedly made an inappropriate statement about cadavers related to comparing the sizes of male cadavers' private parts while studying anatomy. The video soon went viral and gained severe condemnation from doctors, medical students and social media users.

Members of the medical fraternity said that cadavers are treated with utmost respect in medical colleges because they are donated bodies that help students learn human anatomy. Therefore, they said that such comments hurt the dignity of body donors and could negatively affect public trust in body donation for medical education.

As the backlash intensified, the medico reportedly issued a public apology on social media. In her statement, she said the topic was sensitive and admitted that her comments came across in a way they should not have.

She recently appeared before the Maharashtra Cyber Cell and was interrogated for more than eight hours. During the questioning session, she allegedly admitted her mistake and apologised multiple times for her actions and the language used in the video that went viral on social media.

Speaking on the issue, Karnataka Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil described body donation as one of the noblest forms of donation and told TOI that the government would issue guidelines, although the state has no such incidents.

Karnataka currently has 72 medical colleges with nearly 13,000 medical students pursuing their studies across the state. According to the Karnataka Medical Council, students are taught to respect cadavers and recognise the noble act of body donation in the first year.

The proposed guidelines are expected to emphasise ethical responsibilities and respect for body donors during medical training.

Also read- Cadaver remarks row: KEM MBBS student, comedian grilled by cyber cell