Situation is grim at post-mortem centres in Mumbai: Autopsy surgeons

I feared death but I returned home safelyrdquo Dr Rahul Jadhav responded spontaneously when asked about his ordeal The 43yearold forensic surgeon fought COVID19 and is now recuperating at his Ghatkopar residence His wife Sunita 42 is also recovering while their son Atharva 17 who is asthmatic has started exhibiting symptoms since SundayldquoLiving with COVID19 is not less than a nightmare especially when you realise that your wife and child are also suffering Moreover the nature of the job and the guilt of making them suffer make the situation more tough to handlerdquo said Dr JadhavTwo of the five forensic surgeons at five different autopsy centres are currently battling COVID19 while the three others have resumed work postrecovery said Dr S M Patil police surgeon and medicolegal adviser to the state who is also the incharge of these centres The forensic surgeons are from Rajawadi JJ Cooper Siddarth and Bhagwati postmortem centres Those undergoing treatment as of now are from Rajawadi and Siddarth centres1012 bodies a dayA few weeks before falling sick Dr Jadhav was one of the leading autopsy surgeons at Rajawadi centre that was getting 1012 bodies daily Most bodies did not have mandatory Rapid Antigen Test RAT reports on them and some had negative results In such a case it is very risky to come in direct contact with body fluids of a deceased as many a times RAT is false negative explained Dr Jadhav An RTPCR test can confirm the diagnosis but the report takes anywhere between 24 to 48 hoursldquoOn April 15 my colleagues and I worked continuously at the postmortem centre and I had slight body ache throat pain and was feeling feverish But I ignored these as I was incharge of Rajawadi postmortem centre Then I was called to JJ postmortem centre for expert autopsy dutyrdquo recalled Dr Jadhav who had also conducted autopsy of 11 COVID19 patients who had died in the Dreams Mall fireldquoOn April 17 the pain increased and I kept myself somewhat distanced from the staff On April 18 I used one of the RAT kits used to test the dead bodies that come without a test and my result came back negative But I went to Rajawadi hospital and got an RTPCR test donerdquoOn April 19 he was informed by the civic body that he had tested positive and was advised home quarantine Meanwhile he had started medicationsldquoOn April 21 suddenly I got a high fever so I did a blood test and learnt that I needed proper medical care As a precaution I got admitted at Rajawadi hospital for two days But another COVID19 patient was brought to my room and I decided to go back home My wife had also tested positive by thenrdquoldquoMy oxygen saturation started dropping to 9093 per cent I did physiotherapy and took medicine After the sixth day my saturation level rose to 98 per cent and remained steadyrdquo Dr Jadhav said adding his life was saved by the first dose of vaccine he took on March 31Huge riskA senior forensic surgeon not willing to be named said ldquoThe situation is grim at almost all postmortem centres in the city where dead bodies brought by the police neither have COVID19 positive tag nor the RAT report showing false negative This exposes the staff and surgeons to huge risk The worst part is that the centres are not sanitised as there is no regular supply of disinfectants Also most centres donrsquot regularly get N95 masks and face shields Only PPE kits are availablerdquoAn employee of a centre said ldquoEven the deceasedrsquos relatives who visit the centres are not sure if they are asymptomatic carriers of the virus and neither are the policemen who bring papers for disposal of the bodies The risk of getting infection from the papers always exists And usually social distancing goes for a toss when relatives comerdquoOther sideWhen asked the reason for vulnerability Dr Patil said ldquoIt is difficult to point out asymptomatic carriers of the virus among the relatives visiting the postmortem centres without wearing PPE kits or proper cover The autopsy surgeon and staff get exposed Also RAT is not confirmed Many times RAT reports show false negatives and only an RTPCR test can confirm the diagnosis But police and relatives insist on early release of bodies and we have to oblige to their sentimentsrdquoldquoI have directed all the centres to release bodies at the earliest and directed all staff to wear PPE kits and take utmost precaution We have also provided sodium hypochlorite for usage at the centresrdquo he addedHowever a surgeon at a postmortem centre said ldquoWe havenrsquot got sanitisers N95 masks and face shields for the past few months Only PPE kits are available This is because only 60 per cent of the yearly budget has been released from the home department so farrdquo We are forced to take care of ourselves amid the pandemic The home department should take cognisance of our working condition or else the postmortem staff and autopsy surgeons will become victims of COVID19 soonrdquo2No of forensic surgeons currently undergoing treatment