The Telangana health department has denied that a freezer malfunction caused bodies to decompose at the Jadcherla area hospital mortuary in Mahabubnagar district, saying the bodies had already decomposed when they were brought to the facility.
Hospital superintendent Dr Mohammed Arshadullah said two bodies were brought to the mortuary on October 23. One was identified as 49-year-old Metta Lachamma, who had died four or five days earlier. The second was identified as Sriramulu, who had died by drowning.
According to the superintendent, both bodies were placed in the mortuary freezers after they arrived at the hospital. He said the freezers were functioning properly and had miniature circuit breakers, or MCBs, intended to protect the equipment from short circuits and other electrical faults.
The hospital also said the freezer system could maintain the required temperature for about four to six hours during power disruptions caused by voltage fluctuations. The statement did not indicate that the facility had experienced a freezer breakdown during the period in question.
The clarification followed criticism from former health minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader C Laxma Reddy, who had raised the issue of alleged decomposition at the mortuary. Reddy attributed the condition of the bodies to power disruptions and administrative negligence, and called for uninterrupted electricity supply, immediate corrective measures and improvements to hospital infrastructure.
The dispute places attention on the operational requirements of hospital mortuaries, where reliable refrigeration and power supply are essential for preserving bodies before identification, post-mortem procedures or handover to families. The health department’s account, however, attributes the condition of the bodies to the time elapsed before they reached the facility rather than to a failure of the mortuary’s refrigeration system.
The superintendent’s statement also provides details on the mortuary’s claimed electrical safeguards and the period for which the freezers can retain the required temperature during voltage-related disruptions. The report does not specify the exact temperature recorded inside the freezers, whether an equipment inspection was conducted, or whether any written maintenance or power-backup records were released.
The health department’s position is that the mortuary freezers were operational when the two bodies were received and stored. The account does not include a separate technical assessment or a response from the families of the deceased to the explanation.
The immediate administrative demands raised in connection with the episode are uninterrupted power supply, corrective action and better hospital infrastructure. Any further official inspection or documentation would determine whether additional equipment or maintenance measures are required at the facility.
