LAGOS MAY 26TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Plans are on top gear for the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Asaba, to embark on mass burial for dead bodies littering the tertiary health facility mortuary.
The decision of the federal health institution, is borne out of the refusal of relatives to lay claim of their corps for burial as number of dead bodies have gone beyond the capacity the mortuary could hold.
It was gathered that due to the overcrowded situation, corps have to be evacuated into awaiting caskets for burial from the hospital wards.
Investigation revealed that one major cause of the extreme number was as a result of the ban on burial activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A dependable source, who pleaded anonymity, lamented that the situation had gone out of hands.
“Ordinarily, when a patient dies, the corpse is taken to the morgue for embalmment and whatever else that needs to be done. It is from there that families go to claim the remains of their relatives.
“It is thus become rather absurd when we discovered that corpses were being moved from the ward, where the patient died, directly into a casket because there is no more space at the morgue”, the source disclosed.
An insider source unearthed that the health facility management is already thinking of giving a two weeks ultimatum for corps owners to come claim their relatives corps, following the overwhelming situation.
The hospital management is also thinking of a mass burial if after 14 days they were not claimed.
A visit to the hospital’s morgue, where a door was left opened without the attendants in sight, confirmed the investigation, as dead bodies littered up to the door post.
Confirming the situation, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) , Dr. Victor Osiatuma, disclosed that the morgue only have a carrying capacity of 210 dead bodies.
Osiatuma added that the management of the hospital was contemplating putting out a notice for the public to retrieve and bury their dead loved ones within the next month, after which it could resort to mass burial of unclaimed corpses.
Responding to the situation, the Iyase of Asaba, Obi Patrick Onyeobi, said that the issue of over flowing morgues was one that needed immediate attention.
He also used the opportunity to remind the State and Local Governments on the need to have a cemetery in Asaba, the Delta State capital.
“If there is no land in Asaba, other neigbouring towns like Ogwashi-Uku, Anwai or Ibusa can be used.
“All that needs to be done would be to build an access road that links it to the state capital”, he said.
The Iyase, in an attempt to proffer solutions to the rising issue of overflowing morgues also recommended that the state and Nigeria in general, begin to explore the option of cremation.
“Those who wish to be cremated should state so while they are still alive as this will save us all from the headache of burials and all that goes with it, especially as burying corpses in the house doesn’t appear to be healthy”, he submitted.
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