RIYADH, 24 April 2006 — The main morgue in Riyadh receives between 4,000 and 5,000 bodies annually with about 400 of them requiring autopsy, according to Dr. Saeed Al-Ghamdi, forensic consultant and supervisor at the Legal Medicine Center here.
“An average of 1,750 bodies of expatriates are repatriated every year under the wishes of relatives. Several formalities have to be completed in such cases. A fee of SR2,000 is charged for embalming a body before repatriation,” Al-Riyadh newspaper quoted Dr. Al-Ghamdi as saying.
Five Saudi doctors work as forensic specialists with dozens of doctors from other Arab countries assisting them at the center.
“A coroner’s help is a vital in criminal investigation because he can only determine the precise time and cause of death,” Al-Ghamdi said.
