Pimpri: Relatives of deceased individuals at Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCM), Pimpri-Chinchwad, have raised concerns over extortion practices by the hospital’s post-mortem staff.

It has come to light that the staff are charging families excessively for the materials needed to wrap the bodies after post-mortem examinations.

According to hospital guidelines, after a post-mortem, the body must be wrapped in cloth and plastic to prevent blood leakage during transportation and funeral rites.

This procedure is standard, with about six to seven post-mortems conducted daily at YCM Hospital. However, instead of providing these materials, the hospital staff have been allegedly demanding higher sums of money from relatives.

Despite the cost of necessary materials, such as cloth, string, eucalyptus oil, and plastic bags, amounting to ₹600 to ₹700 in local markets, the hospital staff reportedly demand as much as ₹1,500.

Grieving families, who often have no knowledge of where to obtain these items in their time of distress, are left with no choice but to comply with the inflated demands.

Mayur Ghaytadak, a relative of a deceased individual, shared his experience, stating, "After the post-mortem of our relative at YCM Hospital, the staff demanded ₹1,500 for the materials to wrap the body. When we told them this amount was too high, they settled for ₹800. It is wrong to take advantage of families during such difficult times."

The hospital management has acknowledged the issue and stated that while the responsibility for providing materials lies with the relatives, staff are instructed to charge only the fair amount if they are asked to procure the items.

“The hospital does not provide materials for wrapping bodies after post-mortems. However, our staff should only collect the correct amount required for such items. If anyone demands extra money, relatives are encouraged to report the incident to the hospital administration,” said Dr. Rajendra Wable, Dean of YCM Hospital.