MARGAO
The body of deceased Rafiq Tatker was finally handed over to his relatives in the evening after post-mortem examination. The exact cause of death is however, reserved, pending chemical analysis of the vicera.
The incident occurred on Tuesday when Rafiq was brought dead to Hospicio hospital at around 9 am. The local residents led by former Sarpanch Sheikh Sofia maintained that the family members and the villagers were not opposed to the post-mortem examination, but charged Hospicio doctors for making them run from pillar to post.
“When Rafiq was declared dead, the people accompanying him were told to get his wife to the hospital and also a death certificate from the doctor treating him. The people got the death certificate from the doctor and also brought the wife of the deceased, but the doctors refused to hand over the body. They told us to get an NOC from the police if they want the body and our people had to go at least five times to the Maina-Curtorim police station for the NOC, but in vain,” Sofia claimed, demanding to know why the doctors did not conduct the autopsy in the morning itself if the rules did not permit release of the body without post-mortem examination.
Fisheries Minister and Navelim MLA Avertano Furtado along with Zilla member Ulhas Tuemkar also made their presence felt at the Hospicio as a large number of villagers turned up at the hospital demanding the body of the deceased without the post-mortem examination.
Hospicio superintendent, Dr Aira Almeida, however, clarified that since Rafiq was brought dead at the Hospicio hospital in the morning, the concerned Hospicio doctor had put a remark that it was a medico-legal case, while making it clear that post-mortem examinations cannot be dispensed with medico-legal cases.
The people were also told that the private doctor, who had issued the death certificate in the morning, is believed to have also written to the authorities that the certificate should not be treated as valid.
The episode got a further twist as the residents were agitated after the doctors reportedly kept the Fisheries Minister waiting at the hospital. Avertano, however, later clarified that he had no problem if the Hospicio MS was pre-occupied at a meeting with doctors, while requesting Dr Almeida to release the body at the earliest after completing the formalities.
