Thiruvananthapuram Medical College earns INR 6.4 lakh from sale of dead bodies

The medical college charged INR 40,000 from private colleges for each cadaver. In total, seven colleges purchased dead bodies from the college, revealing the increasing demand for cadavers.

Thiruvananthapuram Medical College that has received 64 unclaimed dead bodies, including that of nine women, in the past four years has earned a revenue of INR 6.4 lakh from their sale to private medical colleges for research purposes. According to the data received by RTI activist Raju Vazhakkala, Thiruvananthapuram Medical College sold 16 dead bodies to private medical and dental colleges in Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari districts between January 1, 2017, and November 30, 2021.  

1 dead body mandatory for every 10 MBBS students: MCI

The demand for corpses increased after the Medical Council of India (MCI) stipulated that one dead body is mandatory for every 10 MBBS students, forcing the authorities of the private medical colleges to go on a shopping spree for unclaimed dead bodies.  

Thiruvananthapuram Medical College took INR 40,000 from private colleges for each cadaver. In total, seven colleges purchased dead bodies from Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, revealing the increasing demand for cadavers. A private college in Tamil Nadu’s Kulasekharam purchased four cadavers from the college. 

The data obtained through the RTI revealed that Thiruvananthapuram Medical College has INR 9.4 lakh remaining from the sale of cadavers which are sold in one to six months depending on the demand from private colleges. The revenue generated by the medical college is spent on the maintenance of the mortuary, buying instruments and chemicals and paying the salaries of the staff engaged in preserving the bodies. A three-member committee, which comprises the Director of Medical Education, Medical College Principal and Anatomy Department Head, supervises the sale of cadavers. 

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