What people say about Nizhny Novgorod morgues

One of the last places every person ends up is the morgue. There, specialists determine the cause of death and prepare the body for its final journey. Reviews of such places vary widely — some people seize the chance for irony, others evaluate the environment and staff. We looked at how Nizhny Novgorod residents rate morgues in this million‑plus city and what they write about them in search engines.

Morgues most often operate at hospitals. People are largely dissatisfied with the morgue at Semashko Hospital (bolnitsa imeni Semashko) — they complain about poor treatment and sometimes even extortion.

«They take money for what should be done for free,» commented a Nizhny Novgorod resident named Alexander.

«We waited three hours for the autopsy and the certificate while the staff celebrated a birthday! When a drunken crowd spilled out with bouquets, the certificate was issued in two minutes! It immediately became clear what they were doing. Washing and dressing the deceased costs 12,500 rubles (about $125 at current rates), with no receipts or checks — cash only,» wrote Yulia.

Positive reviews are mostly posted by jokers.

«A wonderful, convenient morgue with comfortable single‑occupancy refrigerators,» wrote an anonymous user.

Similar comments can be found about the morgue at the Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital (detskaya oblastnaya klinicheskaya bolnitsa).

«The refrigerators are spacious, the neighbors aren’t noisy — and that’s the main thing; really liked the staff’s attitude. We will definitely visit again»

«I don’t like the refrigerator much; it chills weakly. But that’s more for management. The staff is wonderful, the instruments are sharp, especially the circular saw,» commented Denis Ivanov.

At the Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination (byuro sudmedekspertizy) on Ilyich Prospekt, people also complain about extortion, as well as an unpleasant smell in the department.

«The stench is awful already out on the street; to identify a relative, I had to walk through the entire room with corpses — mine was in the farthest corner. I think they could have brought him closer to the exit or taken a photo on a phone so I wouldn’t have to go through that nightmare. And the last straw was that they wanted to release him to me for 4,000 rubles (about $40 at current rates), supposedly they hand over bodies for free from 13:00, and earlier — for money. When I demanded the head and the grounds for paid release, they immediately let me take him free!» — one Nizhny Novgorod woman fumes.

«Horrible morgue! They take 5,000 rubles (about $50 at current rates) to wash and dress the deceased, but in fact — they only dress them! God forbid ending up at this hospital.»

Another morgue people often write about online is at Hospital No. 12 (bolnitsa No. 12) in Sormovo (district of Nizhny Novgorod). The complaints are similar — paid services and poor attitude from the staff.

«A couldn’t‑care‑less attitude from morgue workers toward people. Both the living and the dead. They handed over the body in such a state that everyone at the funeral was in shock. The deceased’s eyes were open, mouth open. In the mouth, an undissolved pill. Not for the faint of heart! That frozen stare will haunt me for a long time! We paid 11,500 rubles (about $115 at current rates) for the morgue’s services. Isn’t that enough to do things properly? They could at least have put coins on the eyes! Shameless.» — wrote a user named Nadezhda.

«A couldn’t‑care‑less attitude to their duties! They let the body rot and consider that a normal storage condition,» said a woman named Anna.

Earlier, we also covered how people rate prisons in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. Read more in this article.