Rodents Eat Face Of Dead Woman In Hospital Mortuary

Rats allegedly nibbled on the dead body of a 65-year-old woman that was being kept at the mortuary of a private hospital in the southern Indian state of Kerala, the woman's family claimed.

The family came out with the allegations after they visited the deceased woman— identified as Sundari — Wednesday at a hospital in Pattambi, Palakkad and found injury marks on her cheeks and nose, Indian news outlet The News Minute reported. Sundari had been admitted to the hospital a few days prior due to a heart ailment but she passed away Tuesday.

"Since we do not have space at our home, we wanted the hospital to keep the body. The authorities kept the body in the mortuary. But, when we reached the hospital today to take the body, the face was covered. And when asked, the hospital officials informed us that rodents had eaten it away," a relative was quoted as saying by newspaper The Times of India.

Upon learning of the incident, newly assigned Kerala Health Minister Veena George asked for a report from Palakkad's District Medical Officer. The officer then visited the hospital and inquired about the incident.

"There was a lapse on the part of the hospital. Although we did not find any evidence, they admitted the face was disfigured. We will file a report to the Health Minister," the officer was quoted as saying by The News Minute.

Sundari's body was cremated Wednesday. According to Pattambi police, a case has been registered based on the family's complaint.

A similar incident occurred in the state of Uttar Pradesh last month when the unclaimed body of a woman was discovered partially eaten by rats and ants at the mortuary of a hospital.

The condition of the unidentified 32-year-old's body was discovered on May 4 after a foul smell had started emanating from the body that was decomposing at the mortuary of the Balrampur Mandalya Hospital located in the city of Azamgarh.

The woman was found injured on the road on the evening of April 29 and was rushed to the hospital, where she succumbed to her wounds the next morning.

Due to negligence on the part of the health department and police, the body was not identified and it did not undergo a post-mortem examination despite it being transferred to the mortuary after the woman's death.