UTH mortuary ‘terrifying sight’

Tue, 10 Jan 2017 12:56:00 +0000

BY MAILESI BANDA

LUSAKA residents have appealed to government to consider extending the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) mortuary saying the population has grown and that the mortuary is failing to accommodate all the bodies leading to some bodies being piled on the floor.

Chimunya Mweemba a resident of Lusaka’s Kanyama residential area has said the people visiting the mortuary were being subjected to a terrifying site because most of the brought in dead bodies (BID) were piled on the floor and this is not conducive for on lookers.

Speaking in an interview with the daily nation, he said there was need for the ministry to urgently look into the matter as the people most affected were those who visited the mortuary.

“Visiting the mortuary at UTH is a traumatizing experience because you will find bodies piled up and this is not good, the government should consider extending the mortuary while they are working on the rest of the institution, “he said.

He said it was part of the Zambian tradition to respect the dead and that leaving bodies piled up was not a sign of respect.

He said it was difficult for family members to select people that would clean their deceased relative’s bodies because of what those tasked with the responsibility were subjected to.

He stated that the most affected with the limited space at the mortuary were the poor.

“We are the ones who face the challenge of space at the UTH, the rich pay funeral service providers and don’t get to be part of the horrifying experience we are subjected to, “he said.

He appealed to the government to come to the aid of the people they serve.

“The Patriotic Front government boasts of being a party for the poor it is high time they proved this statement by extending the mortuary, “he said.

He said the current mortuary had outlived its usefulness and there was need for the government to extend it and include modern equipment.