Govt Tweaks Post-Mortem Protocols; Know The New Rules

New Delhi: In a major reform, post-mortem protocols are being tweaked by the Central government.

The Union Health ministry announced on Monday that the new rules will allow post-mortems to be conducted at night in hospitals which have adequate infrastructure. This will help relatives of the deceased and aid organ harvesting for quick transplant, reported The New Indian Express.

“Apart from friends and relatives of the deceased, this new procedure also promotes organ donation and transplant as organs can be harvested in the stipulated time window after the procedure,” said the ministry.

The age-old practice of post-mortems not being conducted after sunset was followed in medical institutes like AIIMS Delhi and other hospitals.

The government, however, clarified that in cases of homicide, suicide, rape, decomposed bodies and suspected foul play, post-mortem should not be done after sunset, unless there is a law and order situation.

The new protocol, shared with all ministries and states, also states that video recordings be done of post-mortems conducted at night with the aim of eliminating any element of suspicion and preserving a record for possible legal purposes in future.

The ministry has specified that fitness and adequacy of hospital infrastructure for night post-mortems must be assessed by the hospital-in-charge before adopting new protocol.

Demands and representations were made before the government on the issue.

They were examined by a technical committee in the directorate general of health services before a go-ahead was given.