Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 04 July 2025
Mrs. VD Leju, LG Commendation Awardee for Social Work and resident of Hope Town, has raised serious concerns over the discontinuation of post-mortem services at Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Ferrargunj Tehsil. In a formal representation addressed to the Chief Secretary of the Andaman & Nicobar Administration, she urged the authorities to take immediate steps to resume the critical medico-legal service at the local level.
According to the representation, post-mortem examinations are no longer being conducted at local health centres in the Ferrargunj region, including the CHC Bambooflat. Instead, grieving families are being asked to shift the deceased to G.B. Pant Hospital in Sri Vijaya Puram, which is causing significant emotional and logistical hardship.
Mrs. Leju stated that in many cases, the mortal remains are returned to families only the next day, leading to distress and delays in performing the last rites. She added that this practice is not only inconvenient but has also triggered suspicion among the public.
Highlighting the availability of infrastructure for post-mortems at PHCs and CHCs, Mrs. Leju emphasised the need for deploying qualified medical officers and supporting staff trained in forensic medicine at local centres. She proposed that specialist forensic doctors be deputed on a case-by-case basis to ensure accurate and credible medico-legal examinations.
She further pointed out that post-mortem reports prepared by general duty medical officers often face scrutiny in court due to lack of forensic expertise, which can compromise the integrity of legal proceedings.
Additionally, Mrs. Leju requested the administration to allocate a dedicated mortuary van for Ferrargunj Tehsil to ease transportation burdens in unavoidable cases. At present, families are forced to hire private vehicles at their own expense to transport deceased persons to and from Sri Vijaya Puram.
Calling the current arrangement both insensitive and impractical, she appealed to the Andaman & Nicobar Administration to reinstate post-mortem services at local health centres without delay. Copies of her representation were also forwarded to the Secretary (Health) and the Director of Health Services for urgent consideration.
