JEDDAH: A health official in Jeddah has blamed the police for leaving the bodies of expatriates unclaimed in hospital morgues in the city, Al-Watan newspaper reported yesterday.
“There are 22 bodies of expatriates in morgues in various Jeddah hospitals. All medical investigations with regard to them have been completed, although five of them are unidentified,” said the medical source who preferred to remain anonymous.
“Some of them are lying there for about 12 months. They still lie in the hospitals because police are very slow to respond,” he added.
The source fears the police’s lukewarm attitude may lead to a backlog of dead bodies in the city’s morgues. He added that the medical investigation reports were sent to police and to the Board of Investigations and Public Prosecution.
He also said that some of the bodies were not involved in any legal issues and that their burial were delayed as a result of police not taking action for reasons he did not know.
Interior Minister Prince Naif has issued an order that no bodies should be kept in the morgues for more than two months.
“Director of Jeddah Police Maj. Gen. Ali Al-Ghamdi recently appointed an officer to prepare a report on unidentified bodies that are suspected of being linked to crime,” said Col. Misfar Al-Juaid, spokesman for Jeddah police.
“Police formalities with regard to a body include ascertaining if the person has anything to do with a crime. If there is any such involvement, the body is preserved for investigations. On the other hand, if the death was natural then the body is returned to relatives immediately,” he said.
“In the case of dead bodies of foreigners with criminal involvement, appropriate decisions are taken jointly by the police, the Passport Department and the Health Directorate,” he added.
If the body is of an unidentified expatriate, the police take fingerprints, DNA and photographs, and carry out a medical examination of the body to ascertain the cause of death, he said, adding if the nationality is known, then the relevant embassy would be informed.
