Kottayam, Kerala: A body kept in a defective freezer at the mortuary of state-run Kanjirappally General Hospital decomposed, triggering protests by relatives. The deceased was Jomy Joseph (45) of Manimala. The body was brought to the mortuary on Friday evening.

When relatives arrived around 9 am on Saturday to receive the body, it had decomposed and emitted a foul smell. They said the condition was such that identification was not possible. The family staged a protest within the hospital premises before later taking custody of the body and conducting a post-mortem at Pala General Hospital.

After the post-mortem, the body has been kept in the mortuary of a private hospital. The funeral will be held at 10 am on Monday at Manimala Holy Magi Forane Church cemetery.

Staff negligence cited; attendants suspended

Panchayat member Saji Antony said a complaint had been lodged at Ponkunnam police station. Copies will also be submitted to the District Collector and the District Medical Officer.

Hospital authorities said staff negligence led to the incident. District Medical Officer Dr N Priya said Grade II attendants R V Sujatha and V D Rekha had been suspended. Hospital Superintendent Savan Sara Mathew said a preliminary inquiry found lapses on the part of staff.

Faulty unit used despite available capacity

The mortuary has two refrigeration units with a capacity to store eight bodies. One unit, with four freezers, was non-functional, and the body was placed there. The other working unit held two bodies, with two slots lying vacant.

The post-mortem room and mortuary had been constructed a year ago at a cost of ₹1 crore.