The post mortem centres are located at the JJ, St George's, GT, KEM, Sion, Nair, Rajawadi and Cooper hospitals. Six more centres are to be created by 2000 AD, at the Bhagwati, Kandivali Shatabdi, Siddharth Nagar (Goregaon), Kannamwar Nagar (Vikhroli), Chembur Shatabdi and Cama hospitals.

According to Dr RB Selmokar, medical superintendent, GT Hospital, in the absence of separate staff, Casualty Medical Officers will have to double up for post mortem duty. However, it would be difficult for a CMO to keep patients waiting and perform a post mortem. Relatives of the deceased persons would also want to claim the body as soon aspossible, he said.

Dr R S Chaudhari, professor and head of forensic medicine at KEM Hospital added that of a sanctioned staff strength of 15 doctors at KEM, just five are on duty. These posts would have to be filled if post mortems are to be done quickly, he said. Already, KEM is carrying out medico legal post mortems for police stations in their area.

State police surgeon Dr GV Uppe, who will be heading the centres, said these are just teething troubles. For now, centres which are located in municipal hospitals have agreed to perform post mortems during the day, and this would soon be extended round-the-clock. Also, when six more centres are created, the workload on each centre would shrink, he pointed out.

The passing of the Coroners Act, 1871 and the JJ Coroners Court breathed life into the coroners courts, which catered to a then population of 60,000. Subsequently, as the population burgeoned, two more courts were set up at Rajawadi and Cooper hospitals. But the courts have been synonymous withagony for family members and relatives who had to claim the body of their loved one from any of the three courts. At every stage, there were long delays, and the staff dragged their feet till relatives greased obliging palms. Even in clear cases of natural deaths, where patients were being treated at a hospital for weeks before their deaths, bodies were been sent for post mortems, said sources.

Under the new system, a body which reaches any post mortem centre with the relevant documents is to be handed over to the relatives within two hours. The disposal warrant will be provided by the police along with other documents like the accident death report and panchnama. This, claimed Dr Uppe, would ensure that there was neither delay nor harassment of relatives.

Dr Uppe added that when a body is sent to any post mortem centre, it cannot be given to relatives without conducting a post mortem. Notice boards will be put up at the centres, and if relatives still have complaints, they should contact the medicalofficer in charge or even the police surgeon himself, he added.