Dhading, September 12

Health facilities in Dhading that are authorised to prepare post-mortem reports have been found to be doing so unscientifically owing to lack of proper equipment and skilled manpower.

The government had granted Dhading District Hospital, Gajuri Primary Health Centre and Salyantar Primary Health Centre the authority to carry out post-mortems in the district.

However, all these health facilities have been preparing reports randomly for years due to lack of proper equipment and skilled manpower.

“We don’t even have the blade to slice the body, let alone scissors, hammers, chisels, and rib cutters. At least one to two bodies are brought at the health facility for post-mortem every day. We don’t even have an icebox. Hence, we have no option but to prepare the report by observing the body externally,” said Medical Officer Dr Amrita Shrestha of Gajuri Primary Health Centre.

Gajuri Health Centre prepares around twenty post-mortem reports for suicide cases every year. Many road accident victims are also brought to the health centre, said Dr Shrestha.

The plight of Salyantar Primary Health Centre is also similar. Though it has been providing health services to residents of 20 VDCs of the district on its own, it lacks basic tools required to prepare a post-mortem report.

“We prepare the report on the basis of observation,” said Dr Shristi Upadhyay. Around 20 reports are prepared at the health facility every year.

Dhading District Hospital also does not have all the necessary equipment required for post-mortem. The hospital does not have a morgue or viscera sample collection facility. According to health workers, there is no trained manpower to conduct post-mortem.

Dr Upadhyay at Salyantar Primary Health Centre said that they were compelled to prepare post-mortem reports despite the lack of necessary equipment and skilled manpower.

“Post-mortem reports developed only by observation by unspecialised employees may be inaccurate,” said Dr Shyam Dhodari at Dhading District Hospital. “Though we have been requesting the necessary equipment from the Department of Health for long, we have not been heard so far,” said senior Public Health Administrator Jeevan Malla.