Launch of virtual autopsy at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital likely to take time

The proposed launch of virtual autopsy (virtopsy), an advanced forensic technique, at the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Kozhikode, is likely to take some more time as the work in this regard is still in progress.

According to official sources, one of the members from the Department of Forensic Medicine at the hospital recently underwent a month-long training in the subject at the North-Eastern Hill Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, Shillong, Meghalaya, which is a pioneer in virtual autopsy in the country.

The department has also submitted a detailed list of the facilities to be introduced at the hospital, including the staff to be appointed and the equipment to be installed, to the government. The sources said that discussions are also ongoing with experts at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

The main objectives of an autopsy are determining the cause and manner of death, establishing identity, and collecting evidence for litigation and investigation. Virtual autopsy reports are almost identical to traditional autopsy reports, the difference is only in the use of advanced imaging instead of invasive dissection. Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technologies are used for this non-invasive procedure, where three-dimensional data of the entire body, or relevant parts, are created to examine the details. However, forensic experts point out that in suspicious or unnatural deaths, a medico-legal autopsy is always mandatory.

According to Health department sources, none of the government hospitals in Keralam follows such a system at present. A.K. Unmesh, Professor, Forensic Medicine, had given a detailed project report (DPR) to the government in December 2025 to set up a virtual autopsy centre at the Government Medical College, Kottayam, where he was working then as the Head of the Department. The DPR had said that setting up such a facility would improve medico-legal services, enhance judicial transparency, reduce the stress of families by offering minimally invasive options, and provide permanent digital evidence for appeals and reviews. The plan was to enhance collaboration between departments such as Radiology and Forensic Medicine, and the judiciary and law enforcement. It was also pointed out that a digital repository of forensic imaging could be created for evidence and academic research. The total projected capital cost was ₹15.5 crore, and the recurring annual cost was estimated to be ₹2.5 crore.

After the United Democratic Front (UDF) came to power in May this year, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan has repeatedly declared that the virtual autopsy system would be first launched in Kozhikode.