AIIMS to get state-of-the art odourless mortuary

New Delhi: After a delay of several months, AIIMS is likely to get a first-of-its-kind odourless mortuary by the end of this year.

The mortuary, which was expected to come up by March, will be a modern autopsy facility that will be a welcome change from the present stinking mortuary. It will be set up in an open space just opposite the current one. “Once the body is dissected, a lot of biological fluids and tissues come out in the process and due to bacteria present in a decaying body, the place starts stinking. These repelling smells make the ambiance unpleasant for the doctors to conduct autopsies,” said a senior doctor of the forensic team at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

The doctor added that manual methods of cleaning and throwing the fluids out are still being used at AIIMS. However, in the new mortuary all these fluids will be evacuated and cleaned by vacuum technique. “The plan layout is ready and it had to be operational by March, but there were some administrative issues, like determining the area required. The issues are being sorted out and it (mortuary) is expected to come up in the next five to six months,” added the doctor.

He said that the autopsy table will be wall mounted like an operation table so that the height can be adjusted and the centre will have in-built facility to videograph a post mortem procedure.

A digital radiology unit has also been set up at to conduct virtual autopsies. Virtual autopsies are less time consuming and can detect even the smallest clots and fractures like hairline or ante-mortem injuries.

These will be conducted with the help of high technology digital x-rays.