Shortage of forensic experts in the country’s 36 government medical colleges and hospitals is creating ‘serious difficulties’ to perform an autopsy of dead bodies. There are only 27 forensic experts are currently working at 36 government medical colleges and hospitals. As a result, these hospitals are struggling to get clearance for the burial of the bodies, according to the Department of Health and Forensic experts of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).
They also said that due to lack of the forensic experts in hospitals, police often fail to submit reports to courts on time or even delay causing denial to justice. Professor Sohel Mahmud, Head of Forensic Medicine Department of Dhaka Medical College (DMC) talking to Bangladesh Post, said, “Students’ interests in studying forensic medicine is gradually decreasing. This is really of great concern. The reason behind the lack of interest is the risk of being harassed in courts for conducting an autopsy.
“In the forensic department, 1 to 2 students are enrolled in higher courses every year. Every year the number of students is decreasing,” he added. A forensic autopsy is a series of tests and examinations performed on the body to determine the presence of an injury and/or to identify any disease that may have caused or contributed to the death.
The forensic medicine departments of the government medical college have been in gross negligence for the last 29 years since 1990. The forensic department of each medical college should have at least 5 forensic specialists. As a result, 36 medical colleges require at least 180 forensic experts. However, there are only 27 specialists.
Besides, a forensic autopsy must be conducted by a licensed physician who is a forensic pathologist or by a physician who is a forensic pathologist-in-training. As the forensic report is very important to determine the cause of unnatural death of any person, justice seekers and police are facing the worst as they have to face serious difficulties in getting the report on time and properly. Based on the forensic report, law enforcement agencies start investigating any unnatural death and detect the real culprit who is responsible for the death. In current circumstances, it is quite impossible to examine and investigate the murders, rape, occur on a daily basis in the country.
In many cases, where there is no medical college at the district level, an examination of autopsy and rape is conducted by a general MBBS doctor. Due to the expert crisis, reports of murders of many killings across the country have led to public suspicion, outrage and controversy. Even many murders - due to the autopsy mistake - turned into suicide.
According to forensic experts, the only forensic department can solve the problems of murder, rape, age and gender of a dead person. So, it is very important to have a forensic department in all the hospitals in the country for justice. After the report of this department is given to the court, proceedings for murder and rape are expedited. And if the report of autopsy or rape test is not submitted to the court properly, the question remains.
There are only 1 to 2 forensic medicine specialists in some medical colleges in the state medical colleges. There is no forensic expert in many private medical colleges. According to the Health Department sources, there are 3 forensic experts at Dhaka Medical College, 2 at Salimullah Medical College, 1 in Mymensingh Medical College, 2 in Khulna Medical College, 4 in Shahid Suhrawardy Medical College, 1 in Comilla Medical College, 1 in Noakhala Medical College. 1 in Chittagong Medical College, 1 in Rajshahi Medical College. 1 in Pabna Medical College, 1 in Jessore Medical College, 1 in Kishoreganj Medical College, 1 in Faridpur Medical College, 1 in Khulna Medical College (1 on contract), 1 on Gazipur Medical College and 1 on Tangail Medical College in Gazipur Medical College. There are experts.
Thus, there are about 27 forensic medicine specialists in various government medical colleges in the country.
There are no forensic experts in Rangpur, Cox's Bazar, Barisal and Sylhet Medical Colleges. Even worse situation, in the districts level there is no forensic medicine expert. According to forensic experts, on average, about 8 to 10 autopsies are done daily at Dhaka Medical College morgue. As such, there are 150 post-mortems on average every day in various medical colleges in the country.