PESHAWAR, May 20: Despite the Supreme Court’s directives that autopsies on the bodies of women should be conducted by women doctors, the post-mortem is being performed by male medico-legal officers in government hospitals of the province.

The Supreme Court on March 20, 1996, had issued directives to all provincial governments that all post-mortem examinations on female bodies should be performed by women doctors, adding that dead bodies were to be treated with respect. No male member should be present during the process, it added.

The court also directed the secretary of health to ensure strict implementation of its ruling throughout Pakistan. The ministry of health in Islamabad forwarded the instructions to all provinces on May 13, 1996.

However, the NWFP health department is yet to comply with the court order.

Officials at the forensic department of the Khyber Medical College complained that they did not have the required female staff to comply with the apex court’s directives. Only two women medical officers are available to conduct the autopsies, officials said.

The number of women murdered in NWFP during 2006 has increased compared to last year.

“We performed 836 autopsies in 2006, out of which 415 were women. The total number of murder cases in 2005 was 771, including 380 female victims,” an official said.

He said the number of injured women taken to hospitals had also increased from 250 during the previous year to 300 in 2006. He said the department had examined 200 women last year in cases of sexual assault. The official said they were short on female staff and informed that two female medico-legal officer posts were lying vacant, adding that female paramedical staff was non-existent.

The situation in remote areas of the province is even more alarming since the medico-legal officers there have no training in forensic medicine or know how to conduct autopsies on bodies of female victims, it is learnt.

A forensic department official said that apart from their routine duties, medico-legal officers were also required to visit courts to record statements and other far-off places to exhume and examine dead bodies. Six medico-legal officers, including four males and two females, and two undertakers are currently working at the department who perform morning, evening and night shift duties, the official said.

At least 300 autopsies on female bodies take place at the department annually that are conducted by male personnel, especially during the evening and night shifts, he added.

The official said that only the King Edwards Medical College in Lahore had been able to comply fully with the court’s directives as it had the required strength of female medico-legal officers and paramedical staff. The directives were yet to be implemented in other provinces due to the non-availability of female staff.

Sources said they had sent several reminders to the provincial health departments to appoint female medico-legal officers, but no response was received.

Officials added that female medico-legal officers could not be posted at hospitals during the night shift due to security issues.