Karachi, theft of human remains from graves is not a new sensation but the police authorities and faculty members of medical colleges have traced the supply of remains to health institutions using them for dissection in study of students. Police investigators find links between thieves and medical college administrations and students, who in the absence of a authentic system seek illegal ways to fulfill their educational needs.

Some senior faculty members of medical colleges have little doubt about such findings and they agree that many college administrations and students individually also ‘arrange’ bodies and the remains on their own for educational purposes. “There are many colleges in Karachi as well as in other cities of Sindh where actual human bones are used for educational purposes,” said Dr Masood Hameed, the vice chancellor the Dow University of Health Sciences.

He, however, said the colleges under the DUHS had been using imported sets of artificial bones and parts of human bodies for educational purposes for the last more than five years. Till a few years ago, there was a practice among students to arrange bones and human remains on their own and contact political activists in the colleges for the purpose to meet their study requirements, he added.

“Body dissection, requiring a human body, was once part of studies which became obsolete across the world gradually. So we put an end to that as well and since 2004-05 all three medical colleges under the DUHS are using imported sets of artificial bones,” added the DUHS vice chancellor.

However, the provincial authorities do not agree to it. They say the practice was common in medical colleges over a decade ago when a number of student organizations ran ‘bones banks’ to help students. With the introduction of technology that produced artificial bones and limbs, the trend had become obsolete. “Now there is no medical college which uses human bones, skulls or other remains for educational purposes. Gone are the days when gravediggers or student organisations were behind that supply line. Now colleges, even in the interior of Sindh, are using artificial bones for that purpose,” said Sindh health minister Dr Sagheer Ahmed.

However, people engaged in the profession find it hard to believe. They say private institutions still rely on ‘traditional methods’ to educate their students and little invest in modern technology to fulfill study requirements. “I think the issue, recently highlighted in the media, should be taken in a positive way and an initiative be taken to equip all medical colleges with modern means,” said Idrees Adhi of the Pakistan Medical Association. “Certainly there are private educational institutions which do not spend money to get modern equipment or technology despite earning millions and use human bones and remains for the purpose.”

After such incidents, he said, there was a need for a regulation to restrain medical colleges from using human bones or remains for educational purposes and they must use artificial stuff for acquire their studies.