When T. N. Krishnamurthy, a retired officer of LIC of India and longtime Mylapore resident passed away recently at his residence in Adyar, his family did what he had willed – to donate the body.
It was donated to Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Porur.
Donating a body after death is simple; if some processes are followed properly.
In the case of Krishnamurthy, his daughter Mahalakshi has shared details. < Pick up a form from a hospital where body donation is accepted, and let the donor sign in. The form must be attested by a family member as well as a person in authority outside the family. Submit the form, maintain a copy at home.
Once the donor passes away, alert the hospital. Meanwhile, get a practising doctor to certify death in case the person has passed away at home. Fax/e-mail this note to the hospital.
Once the ambulance arrives, the family’s consent letter is secured by that team before the body is taken away. The body can be stored in the hospital’s mortuary to allow for rituals, in case family/ relatives are flying in to pay their respects.
If the dead person’s organs are useful, they are harvested and body is used for study/research purposes, as willed by the person.
Only a few city hospitals accept bodies and these include government hospitals.
