The future of Forensic medicine in Kerala

Future Of Forensic Medicine In Kerala 

I have learned the subject both theory & practical aspects;  from Veterans in this field like Dr.V.K. Jayapalan &;Dr.P.Sivasankara pillai. I always consider them as my role models. Working with them was a memorable period & I tried to copy down their disciplined behaviour  strictness, punctuality & boldness in every day medico-legal work. Till my retirement in April.2007 from Government Medical College,Trichur ,I tried to uphold all these qualities of good work I imbibed from them. I have got a question to my colleagues  Can any body point out a role model that can be projected?  I may say nobody. Only those people who had acquittance with them agree that they are benevolent & great. Other friends may stare among themselves when I described them as role models; just like Alice in wonderland.

Now the whole scenario is changed. Each person in the department is an individual department himself. The official work is carried out daily according to their whims & fancy. Some people are more interested in giving details of confidential matters to the press &media. .Higher authority is not having any hold on these kind of people. The HOD can't open his mouth to correct them. You may think WHY? I may say that if the HOD wants to control their colleague, he should be an ideal person with a vision  sincerity & devotion towards his profession; that is lacking .The HOD visits the department once in a blue moon & mark his presence in the attendance for those days he was not actually present. 

Now with regards to teaching in government colleges there is day by day degradation except in certain colleges. Nobody is interested to take classes for the undergraduates or postgraduates in certain colleges. During the training period irrespective of undergraduate or postgraduate they should be led in the right track so that each one of them follows the routine work they studied under good guidance. This was found lacking &whom to blame?

Another shuddering event that is being carried out in certain colleges is BINAMI POSTMORTEM  The poor post graduate student is doing out the post mortem work on behalf of HOD. The HOD is not having any knowledge about the case &;he put the signature in the detailed notes &certificate without knowing the findings & its interpretation to find out the cause of death. The only motive behind  is getting the remuneration for the post mortem done by the post graduate on the behalf of HOD. Iam asking a question to the readers WHO IS AT FAULT?

With regard to Binami post mortem I want to narrate a real incident that happened years back in one of the centres  A very senior professor ordered the PG to do the post mortem on his behalf. The PG very politely did it & came with a post mortem diagnosis of snake bite. The tissues preserved for chemical analysis proved negative for snake venom. In the mean time police arrested a person for having done criminal abortion on the said woman. The truth was revealed to the professor by the perpetrator of the crime by himself. Just imagine the mental condition of the said professor!!!!

There is another group of persons who conducted the autopsy with out giving any due respect &regards to the dead body &tried to twist/ omit the findings & form opinion that suited the police history or misled the police in their investigation by coming out with wild ideas & guess. By their action  justice is denied to the concerned.

There is yet another group who steal the findings given by  their true colleague &makes necessary changes in the certificate & dispatch these certificates to the concerned authority in their name by suppressing the evidence in the original post mortem detailed notes &certificate. The original post-mortem related documents are kept in abeyance.

One more group is there who gives age certificate according to the needs of the applicant not involved in a Medico-legal case.

By going through all these I may point out that corruption has already started & it is going to be in full swing in the years to come. Actually One senior professor clearly predicted the emerging corruption years back. 

Apart from this I want to narrate certain recent events occurred in my college. The students have to be taken for witnessing autopsy to government colleges outside Kerala because the government colleges here are forbidden to those students secured admission in private colleges including government merit seats.

The rate one of the senior professor dictating was astonishing  & heart breaking.

Each student should pay 1000 Rupees to the concerned MC office. You will get proper receipt from respective college office.

In addition to that 1)1000/student x number of Asst professor in the forensic department

                2)1500 /student x number of associate professor

                3)2500 / student x number of professors.

A group of students consisting of 100  may have to pay Rs 100000 + (another 75000 if there are asst & associate 2 each & one professor) + traveling charges+ hotel accommodation+ food. This may  come to four lacks  if the students are going to be taken in batches of 4 consisting of 25 numbers in each batch.

Now the medical education has become more of business in  nature & the concerned person  can fill their pockets with money made out from unscrupulous method.