AP Sanctions 177 Mortuary Freezer Chambers For Government Hospitals
: The Andhra Pradesh coalition government has approved 177 mortuary freezer rooms for level-two government hospitals across the state at a cost of ₹ 6.57 crore to strengthen mortuary infrastructure and improve preservation of bodies awaiting post-mortem examinations.
Health minister Satya Kumar Yadav said each freezer compartment was purchased at a cost of up to ₹3.71 lakh. Each unit can hold two bodies, making handling of medical-legal cases and unidentified bodies better.
Bodies of victims of traffic accidents, suicides and other unnatural deaths are routinely brought to public hospital morgues for autopsy. Unidentified bodies are also stored in freezing rooms until identification procedures are completed. Many public hospitals face challenges due to outdated or non-functional freezer equipment.
To solve the problem, the government purchased new freezing rooms for second-tier hospitals. The units will be distributed to 119 community health centres, 49 district hospitals and eight district hospitals across the state, the minister said.
Approximately 150 of the 177 approved freezer chambers have already been shipped, with the remaining units to be supplied shortly. The government is also improving mortuary rooms to facilitate the installation and operation of new equipment.
