By Hussain Hazzazi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The Kingdom imports some 150 corpses every year at a cost of SR40 million for anatomy classes in various medical colleges in the country, according to Hassan Jamal, former dean of the college of medicine at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah.

He strongly condemned the men who posted a video clip that went viral on social media showed five men dancing at the university's morgue among the corpses during New Year celebrations.

"The sanctity of the dead should not be tampered with. The study of anatomy does not justify playing with the corpses," he said.

Jamal said the medical students dissect dead bodies for educational purposes and also to determine the cause of death.

He said the dead bodies are imported from the US, Germany and China and are preserved in formalin so that they reach the Kingdom intact.

"The bodies arrive in the Kingdom by air within 48 hours of death," he said.

Jamal said each college needs at least 25 corpses every year and a body costs between SR250,000 and SR450,00, depending on the age of the deceased.

He said the corpses would remain in the college morgue for a whole academic year before they are buried at cemeteries for non-Muslims under the supervision of a committee from the Interior Ministry and the municipality, according to international norms in respect for the dignity and honor of the dead.

Jamal said the students could also import stuffed human organs such as liver, heart and the other vital organs for educational purposes.