Month on, Ludhiana Civil Hospital working without forensic expert

For the past one month, the Civil Hospital is working without a forensic expert which, in turn, is giving a tough time to the hospital administration. Daily, 7-10 cases arrive for post-mortem examinations and at present, it is taking one day’s time to prepare the final report.

Dr Charankamal was posted at the hospital in 2021 and he was the lone forensic expert here. In August, he was transferred to Kharar, following which the hospital was left without a forensic expert.

Left with no other option, the forensic expert from Khanna is called here to conduct the autopsies. Along with him specialists from the Civil Hospital are also conducting the same.

Now, all specialists, including surgery, ortho, ENT, skin, eye and micro biologists, from the hospital, are doing post-mortem duties and on many occasions, at the cost of their own work.

A specialist from the hospital said he had to leave his OPD work for autopsies. “A forensic expert should be posted here at the earliest as it is taking a toll on our work,” he said.

Civil Hospital daily receives 30 to 40 medico legal cases and 7-10 post-mortem examinations are conducted here.

A police official said the post-mortem examinations were getting delayed since the only forensic expert had been transferred from the hospital. “The future of a case depends upon the post-mortem report. Hence, the department should appoint a forensic expert for the smooth functioning of the hospital as Ludhiana is a huge city and its crime rate is also high,” he said.

When Civil Surgeon Pardeep Mohindra was contacted in this regard, he said whenever staff ask for a forensic expert, he was called from Khanna. “At present, specialist doctors are also doing post-mortem duties so that the work should not get affected. We have already written to the authorities about the matter,” he said.