ELURU: The eyes of a corpse were partially eaten by rodents in the mortuary of the Eluru Government General Hospital on Tuesday night. Incidentally, the hospital is in the constituency represented by Health Minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas (Nani).
The incident happened after T Vaikunta Vasu, a small-time contractor from Lingapalem Mandal of Eluru district, was hit by a tractor at Jogannapalem in Denduluru Mandal on Tuesday night. He died on the spot and his body was shifted to the Government General Hospital at Eluru the same night for a post-mortem examination.
However, when his relatives came to the mortuary on Wednesday morning, they noticed that the eyeballs and eyelids of the corpse had been eaten by rodents, they said. The staff at the mortuary conducted the post-mortem examination, handed over the body to the relatives, and tried to hush up the incident.
Hospital authorities blamed the agency hired to clean the premises and said it was responsible for the unhygienic conditions leading to breeding of rodents in the premises. The agency will be issued a memo, they said.
Hospital superintendent A S Ram said the District Coordinator for Health Services (DCHS) has also been asked to take action against the staff at the mortuary.
Meanwhile, allegations have surfaced that a similar incident happened four days ago, when relatives of a deceased person, K Setti Srirama Murthy, of Kannapuram, found a portion near his eyes eaten by rodents.
Freezers not working
The freezers to preserve bodies have not been functioning, sources said. Of the six freezers in the mortuary, only one is said to be working. Besides, the agency hired to clean the premises has reportedly not been clearing the garbage.