Unclaimed bodies pile up at Sewri TB hospital

Every year, several tuberculosis (TB) patients who come to the city from across the country for treatment, succumb to the infection at the Sewri TB hospital. But many of the bodies remain unclaimed by their relatives due to stigma and fear attached to the infection. But this has become a concern among morgue workers as the hospital morgue is piled up with abandoned dead bodies. To add to their concerns, red tape further delays the process of cremation of the bodies by at least 30 days. But by that time, the body starts decomposing.
The Sewri TB Hospital, one of Asia’s largest TB hospitals, is suffering from an acute shortage of mortuary staffers. And the increasing number of unclaimed bodies in the morgue is worsening the situation.