Tucked away in the back corner of the Government Hospital in Thamarassery taluk is a building that seems to have been forgotten by all. The writing on the front wall says ‘Mortuary for CMC Thamarassery, constructed under MPLAD scheme 1998-1999.’
Inaugurated with much fanfare in the late 1990s when the hospital was just a community health centre, this structure was meant to house the mortuary and autopsy facilities. Over the years, the hospital itself got upgraded to a taluk hospital. But the plight of the building remained the same.
When
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When contacted by
District Medical Officer P.K. Mohanan also confirmed the allocation of funds by the block panchayat. “The building has been lying unused for more than a decade. So it is in a dilapidated state now. It cannot be used without major renovation work,” said Mr. Mohanan.
“The block panchayat has the responsibility of works on the premises. During this period, many new initiatives to upgrade the facilities for treatment were taken up. So there were not enough funds to complete this,” he said when asked about the delay in making the facility functional.
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Koduvally MLA V.M. Ummer Master said he had raised the issue in the District Development Committee meeting in June this year. “There was a functional mortuary facility in the hospital even during the British era. Then it got discontinued and this new structure was built. But then nothing happened for years. Now that funds have been allocated, we can expect it to become functional at last,” said he said.