Telangana’s 35 government medical colleges, with 4,165 MBBS seats, require at least 417 cadavers for first-year anatomy training, as per NMC guidelines. However, data shows a significant shortfall, with fewer than 120 cadavers available.
Published Feb 07, 2025 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 07, 2025 | 7:00 AM
cadaver body
Synopsis: The severe dearth is making students resort to relying on notes from students who have studied cadavers in previous years; doctors say that no simulation will ever serve to replicate the experience of studying the cadaver. Campaigns needed to encourage donation of the bodies of loved ones for medical education
In the Hindi film ‘Munna Bhai MBBS,’ — remade into Telugu as ‘Shankar Dada MBBS’ starring Chiranjeevi — there is a memorable scene where Munna (played by Sanjay Dutt) struggles to observe a dissection during an anatomy class.
Surrounded by a crowd of students around the cadaver, he is unable to see what is happening on the dissection table. When Munna complains, the professor sarcastically retorts, “Why don’t you bring your own cadaver?”
Taking the remark literally, Munna enlists his friend Circuit to “arrange a body.”
In a desperate and comical mix-up, Circuit misunderstands the request and kidnaps a live Japanese tourist, mistaking him for a cadaver.
He then delivers the terrified man to Munna, who places him on the dissection table. Chaos erupts when the “body” suddenly wakes up, screaming and thrashing. Panicked students and staff flee, convinced they’ve encountered a ghost!
Later, when confronted by the dean, Dr. Asthana, Munna defends his actions by repeating his original grievance: “Fifty students were crowding around one body… How was I supposed to learn?”
This absurd yet hilarious moment serves as a critique of the inadequate medical training infrastructure.
Interestingly, this fictional scenario mirrors real-world challenges faced by MBBS students in Telangana, where many colleges struggle to procure cadavers for anatomy labs.
On 2 January, students of the Government Medical College in Kumuram Bheem Asifabad, Telangana, took to the streets in protest, citing a severe shortage of faculty. Another reason for the protest was the dearth of cadavers.
One student told South First: “First-year students are relying on notes from the second year students to know about anatomy from cadaver studies we did last year.”
Under norms set by the National Medical Commission (NMC), the Minimum Standard Requirements for Establishment of New Medical Colleges/Increase of Seats in MBBS Course Guidelines of 2023 state that every academic year, at least one cadaver must be provided for every 10 students.
Telangana has 4,165 MBBS seats across 35 government medical colleges.
Based on NMC guidelines, these institutions should have at least 417 cadavers for first-year anatomy training.
However, data accessed by South First reveals a stark shortfall — there are fewer than 120 cadavers in all.
At 25 medical colleges whose data were accessed by South First, and at least 343 cadavers were required. Only 98 were available — just 28.57% of the necessary number.
Notably, two newly established colleges, Government Medical College, Nirmal, and Government Medical College, Medak, which require five cadavers each, currently have none.
Meanwhile, GMC Karimnagar, which has 100 students, possesses only one cadaver.
Four medical colleges have just two cadavers each, while seven colleges have three cadavers.
Osmania Medical College, which requires 25 cadavers, has only 10; Gandhi Medical College, which also requires 25, has just eight.
South First could not access data from 10 government medical colleges, most of which began operations in 2023 and 2024.
The overall availability of cadavers in Telangana’s medical colleges is alarmingly low — lower than 30% of the required number is being met (estimated for all colleges).
This severe shortage significantly impacts the quality of hands-on anatomy training, a foundational aspect of medical education.
Following his death on 12 September, 2024, CPI(M) secretary Sitaram Yechury’s family donated his body to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, for teaching and research purposes.
Similarly, G. N. Saibaba, a former Delhi University professor, passed away in Hyderabad due to post-operative complications following gallbladder surgery. Honoring his wish to contribute to society even after death, his family donated his body to Gandhi Medical College in Secunderabad.
Additionally, his eyes were donated to LV Prasad Eye Hospital in the city.
“Cadaver donation is vital for training future doctors, as it helps them understand human anatomy and practice surgical techniques. It helps identify disease sites, and determine causes of death. Dissection provides a three-dimensional understanding of the human body and its organs, helping students develop confidence in diagnosing medical conditions,” said an anatomy professor from one of the medical colleges in Telangana.
He added that it also enables them to grasp the size, shape, and location of organs, resolving ambiguities that may arise from textbooks.
Dr Sri Harsha, a resident doctor at the Gandhi Hospital, told South First: “This is the first and most fundamental lesson that students are supposed to learn before truly entering the field. There are other courses, such as BSc-related courses, that also include pre-clinical subjects like anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry. However, what sets MBBS students apart is the depth of learning they undergo. This is one of the most important lessons they receive in their first year because it fundamentally shifts their mindset, especially for those considering surgery as a specialisation or super-specialisation. This is the first step where students begin to develop the motivation to dissect bodies and examine actual diseases firsthand.”
He added that in the first year, students do not just learn about anatomy in theory — they gain a real understanding of where each part of the body is located.
“When working with real cadavers, students encounter natural variations in anatomy, including rare anomalies that cannot be replicated in simulations. For example, when dissecting a real heart, students can see structures such as the circumflex artery and coronary arteries, as well as the vessels supplying blood to and from the heart. These minute details are difficult to replicate perfectly, even with the best simulation technology,” said Dr Harsha.
The doctor added that a lack of cadavers leads to reduced practical skills and anatomical knowledge, compromising the ability of medical students to perform surgeries and other medical procedures effectively, which may lower the competency of future doctors.
Many medical colleges in India depend on body donations for anatomy education. However, there is a significant shortage of cadavers, forcing institutions to rely on unclaimed bodies for medical training.
As a result, unclaimed bodies have become the primary source of cadavers in many medical institutions.
According to a recent study conducted at a Bengaluru hospital and published in the ICMR’s Indian Journal of Medical Research, “The majority of participants had adequate awareness, positive perceptions, and supported organ donation. However, only 51 percent were willing to donate their organs. Education level was a significant predictor of awareness.”
The study further noted that “a large proportion of participants never expressed their wish to donate their organs to their family due to the discomfort associated with the conversation, making it a significant barrier to donation. Additionally, family members may hesitate to make a decision about donating the organs of a deceased loved one due to emotional stress. Reasons for unwillingness included fear of exploitation, religious beliefs, lack of awareness, and lack of discussion.”
Highlighting the study’s implications, the researchers stated, “The findings are relevant for both hospital administrations and policymakers. Hospitals can play a crucial role in promoting organ donation awareness among the general public and addressing barriers such as mistrust in the system. At the policy level, adopting an ‘opt-out’ system, similar to those in Spain and Singapore, where individuals are automatically considered organ donors, could potentially improve donation rates compared to the current ‘opt-in’ system in India.”
The body donation process begins by registering with the anatomy department of a medical college or a body donation NGO.
After death, the family must bring the body to the medical college within eight hours, along with the death certificate. They will also need to provide photo ID proof of both the deceased and themselves.
The donation may be rejected if the body is decomposed, has undergone autopsy, or if the death was caused by contagious diseases or unnatural causes such as poisoning, accidents, or suicide.
The body may be used immediately or preserved for future medical use.
After the body has been fully utilised for medical education and research, the remains will be scientifically disposed of.
Family members may view the body for up to three days, and hair or nails can be collected for religious rituals if desired. Donation is only accepted if the body is in suitable condition for medical education and research purposes.
“There is a significant lack of public awareness regarding the importance of body donation in medical education, alongside challenges in donation processes, transportation, and preservation. The primary issue is the failure to raise public awareness, and religious leaders are encouraged to play a more active role in promoting body donation,” said the professor.
When students perform dissections in their first year, the very first lesson professors teach them is that they should not see the cadaver as just a dead body. Instead, they are instructed to treat it with the utmost respect — as a teacher or even as a god — because it is through the cadaver that they learn their subject.
Legal and regulatory barriers hinder the use of unclaimed bodies, the primary source of cadavers for medical education.
“Despite the annual receipt of unclaimed bodies by government institutions, many are not sent to anatomy departments. This is because the police often avoid technical complications and dispose of the bodies instead,” said the professor.
In Telangana, the handling of unclaimed bodies is governed by the Telangana Pathology and Anatomy Act, 1955, which sets a legal framework for their allocation to medical colleges.
If a person dies in a hospital, prison, or public place, and no relatives claim the body within the prescribed time, the authority in charge must report the death to an authorised officer.
The officer then transfers the body to a medical institution for dissection or anatomical study. If the cause of death is in doubt, the body is sent to the police for investigation.
The Act outlines exceptions and procedures for dispute resolution, such as when there is uncertainty about the identity of relatives. In such cases, a magistrate’s decision is final, and the body must be preserved during the dispute to prevent decay.
Penalties are enforced for illegal disposal of bodies or obstruction of authorities, with fines up to ₹500.
Medical and police authorities are obliged to assist in the process.
The Act does not specify the exact time frame for claiming bodies, potentially causing delay in the implementation of its provisions.
Additionally, cadaver shortages at certain medical colleges, such as GMC Medak and GMC Nirmal, indicate potential inefficiencies in enforcing the Act.
“Police clearance is actually the biggest hurdle. In some states, like Goa, I believe they have introduced a policy to expedite the clearance process for unclaimed bodies, ensuring it is completed as quickly as possible. If I’m not mistaken, two southern states have also implemented similar measures,” Dr Harsha said.
The future of cadaver is simulation; simulated bodies in medical colleges are part of simulation-based medical education (SBME), where simulated patients and simulators mimic clinical encounters. This is seen as one way to provide a safe environment for practicing healthcare skills before working with real patients.
SBME uses resources like plastic models, mannequins, virtual reality, live animals, cadavers, and standardised patients. High-fidelity simulators are life-like mannequins capable of replicating physiological responses and conditions for procedures like intubation and advanced cardiac life support.
Technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are increasingly used to create immersive learning experiences for surgical techniques and critical care management.
SBME is growing globally, including in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with a focus on improving medical curricula. However, high-income countries lead in research and SBME guidelines.
“While simulation labs can provide some level of training, they need to be highly advanced, with life-like anatomical structures that allow students to accurately recognise and memorise body parts. However, current skill labs are not fully developed to this extent. Many of the mannequins used simply provide basic shapes, such as a model of the heart, but they do not offer the intricate details needed for a true understanding,” said Dr Harsha.
He also said that while it is theoretically possible to create highly detailed anatomical models, achieving such perfection would be extremely costly and impractical for most institutions.
“Maintaining and replacing these high-tech models every year would be financially challenging. The human body, as a creation of nature, is so intricately designed that replicating it with absolute precision is nearly impossible for humans. As a result, students relying solely on simulations would miss out on critical details that can only be observed through real human dissection,” he said.
He also pointed that the human touch will always stand out as superior.
“There are advanced mannequins being developed now that mimic the feel of human skin and tissue. When you insert a cannula or perform procedures like setting up an IV line or a central line catheter, these mannequins can provide a realistic experience. In this aspect, simulations have reached a certain level of expertise. However, even though these technologies are expensive, that is a secondary concern. The real issue is that when it comes to intricate anatomical details, no simulation can fully replace the experience of working with a real human body,” he said.
(Edited by Rosamma Thomas)
