The Punjab Government has issued comprehensive guidelines to all government and private healthcare institutions across the state to ensure the protection of human rights, dignity of deceased persons, and improvement in medico-legal and mortuary services.
Issued by the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, the directions aim to ensure compliance with recommendations of the Punjab State Human Rights Commission, and provisions of various laws, and Article 21 of the Constitution.
A major highlight of the guidelines strictly prohibits hospitals, nursing homes and clinical establishments from withholding dead bodies over non-payment of hospital bills or any pending dues. Institutions have been directed to release bodies without delay, irrespective of outstanding dues.
Healthcare institutions have also been instructed to display notices prominently in Punjabi, Hindi and English stating that no dead body shall be withheld on account of pending payments. Citizens have been encouraged to report any violation of these instructions through the State Health Helpline (104).
The guidelines further mandate proper mortuary cold-chain systems, electrical safety compliance, installation of digital temperature monitoring systems, and appointment of nodal officers for mortuary management and preservation of bodies.
It has also issued directions to strengthen and standardise medico-legal services across the state. The instructions focus on improving the quality of medico-legal reports and ensuring the use of a unified digital platform for preparing and maintaining such records.
All government healthcare institutions have been asked to follow the latest guidelines and protocols related to the preparation of medico-legal reports, sampling procedures, documentation of injuries, and other medico-legal processes.
To enhance the capacity of healthcare professionals, the department has directed that continuing medical education and orientation programmes on medico-legal protocols be organised for medical officers within 90 days.
The Health Department has also made it mandatory that all Medico-Legal Reports (MLRs) and Post-Mortem Reports (PMRs) be prepared exclusively through the state’s MedLEaPR portal to ensure uniformity, transparency and digital record-keeping.
Welcoming the initiative, Dr DS Bhullar, former president of the Punjab Academy of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, said the measures would help uphold the dignity of the deceased, protect bereaved families’ rights, enhance public confidence in healthcare institutions, and improve medico-legal services throughout Punjab.
All civil surgeons, medical superintendents, and medical education institutions have been instructed to implement the guidelines immediately and submit compliance reports to the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare.
