A growing number of families are unable to cover the costs of funerals for their dead, resulting in a growing number of cadavers for university students. Athanasios Dimopoulos, head of the University of Athens Medical School, says that the students have noted an increase in cadavers, adding that there are even some families that leave their deceased at the hospital, unable to cover the cost of their transport.

Many hospitals hold tenders for funeral services to cover the funeral costs for people who cannot afford to do this. Bearing in mind that the average cost of a burial is at 1,300 euros, there is a growing number of people who are unable to tend to their dead. As a result, hospitals have increased their funds for dealing with bodies left behind by 50%.

Anatomy lecturer Antonis Mazarakis said that there used to be just 8-10 cadavers offered to science in the period prior to the crisis, whereas over the last year the number has tripled to 25 to 330 corpses finding their way to university labs.