MADURAI: An additional new building will be constructed for the mortuary section at the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai. The new facility spread across 1,200 square feet will cost nearly Rs 93 lakh.
A top official from GRH Madurai told TNIE, "The current mortuary has a slew of problems, including infrastructure issues. We are also in need of storage space. We sent a proposal to the Directorate of Medical Education (Chennai) and they have accepted the proposal to construct a new mortuary facility. While there are around 34 freezer boxes in the present mortuary, six are faulty. The new facility will have about 24 freezer boxes. There is an old nursing school building behind the current mortuary, which will be demolished to make way for the new facility. The tender process will be initiated within two weeks, and construction will begin in the first week of April."
Social activist Veronica Mary lauded the move, saying, "We welcome the new facility, but also expect extra additions such as digital display boards to list the names of victims, arrival time and discharge time of the mortal remains. Such display is available at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai. Foul smell emanates during the postmortems, so a larger exhaust fan is needed.”