Family donates Prof S K Behera's body to MKCG

Berhampur: Family members of Sunil Kanta Behera, a retired professor of Journalism and Mass Communication, Berhampur University, donated his body to MKCG Medical College here on Wednesday. Prof S K Behera passed away on Tuesday afternoon.

Prof Behera wished to donate his body two months ago. This is the 16th body to be donated to MKCG Medical College since 2013.

The body of CPM leader Ram Chandra Nayak was the first to be donated to MKCG on May 2, 2013 at a time when there was acute shortage of cadaver for medical education and research. The Odisha Assembly had passed the Odisha Anatomy Amendment Bill, 2012 to enable colleges and research institutions to use cadaver of even unknown persons for anatomical exam. The Odisha Anatomy Act, 1975, which was earlier the governing law to supply bodies for education and research in the State, had no provision for voluntary body donations.

Seven bodies were donated to MKCG in seven years from 2013 to 2020. "Nine bodies have been donated to the Anatomy Department in less than two years," said Prof J Sagar Prusty.

Prof S K Behera had retired from the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Berhampur University, in 2015. He later joined as Dean, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Central University, Tejpur in Assam and retired last year. He continued as visiting professor of Central University, Koraput.