Madurai official seeks better protocols for body donations

A retired Assistant Commissioner of the Madurai Corporation, V Palanivelu, has petitioned the Madurai District Collector to establish formal protocols for receiving donated bodies for medical education. The petition follows an ordeal experienced by his family after the death of his wife, Maniyamma, a retired District Child Development Project Officer.

Following Maniyamma’s death on August 15, the family attempted to honor her wish to donate her body to Madurai Medical College. Palanivelu alleged that the family faced significant delays and confusion, including being told the medical college would not function on a Sunday and being directed to leave the body at the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) mortuary instead of the Department of Anatomy. He reported that staff at the mortuary initially delayed acceptance because they suspected the death was due to an accident.

A senior official from GRH noted that not all donated bodies can be accepted, as certain infections preclude their use for research. The official also stated that mandatory embalming, a process taking over four hours, must be completed before bodies are transferred to the anatomy department. The body has since been transferred to the medical college for research and study.