India's First National Mortuary Standards: Ban on Basement Morgues

Key facts

• India introduced its first national minimum standards for mortuary and post-mortem infrastructure, finalized by the National Council for Clinical Establishments under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
• The standards ban morgues from basements and areas near hospital waste disposal, and require cold storage at 4-8°C with a minimum capacity of four bodies.
• Medico-legal case (MLC) bodies must be kept separate from non-MLC bodies, and each body must have a unique serial number for traceability.
• Staffing norms are linked to annual autopsy workload: up to 100 autopsies require two registered medical practitioners (preferably MD in forensic medicine), two post-mortem technicians, and two assistants, with additional staff for every extra 100 autopsies.
• Mortuary complexes must be on the ground floor, away from the main hospital building, with specific infrastructure requirements including an autopsy block of about 4,000 sq ft, corridors at least 8 feet wide, and compliance with Biomedical Waste Management Rules 2018.
• Implementation is the responsibility of state and union territory authorities, and the standards apply to public and private hospitals in states/UTs that have adopted the Clinical Establishments Act.