Moroto Regional Referral Hospital is facing significant challenges in disposing of unclaimed bodies abandoned by relatives. The hospital administrators have decried the financial burden of burying the bodies, as families are neglecting their responsibility to claim their deceased loved ones.
The unclaimed corpses include individuals who have died from gunshot wounds, alcohol abuse, and other causes. Dr. Stephen Pande, the hospital’s director, explained that they have enlisted the services of a local provider to handle the disposal of the unclaimed bodies.
Each burial costs approximately 450,000 Shillings, and between July 2022 and May 2023, the hospital has spent over 14.6 million Shillings. The lack of sufficient budget allocations for the disposal of unclaimed bodies has placed an additional strain on the hospital’s resources.
Dr. Pande emphasized that the situation has been further exacerbated by the region’s insecurity, resulting in numerous individuals being brought to the hospital with gunshot injuries, only to be abandoned by their families upon their demise. This burden has forced the hospital to allocate unbudgeted funds for the burial of bodies on behalf of the communities.
The hospital has also expressed a pressing need for a new, modern mortuary in the Karamoja sub-region. Currently, the hospital relies on a deteriorating mortuary that was constructed during the colonial era, which is ill-equipped to handle the needs of all nine districts in the region.
Dr. Pande stated that the existing morgue can only accommodate one body, falling far short of the required standards for a hospital mortuary.
To address this issue, the hospital is requesting 500 million Shillings to construct a modern mortuary capable of accommodating a larger number of bodies for an extended period, while awaiting collection by relatives.
Dr. Pande called upon stakeholders to unite and advocate for improved facilities to care for the deceased. Richard Eyaru, the Moroto Town Clerk, revealed that the current morgue was initially intended for the Municipal Health IV facility.
However, due to its absence, it was handed over to the regional referral hospital. Eyaru noted that the lack of health facilities within the district has resulted in an overwhelming number of patients with minor cases being directed to the referral hospital.
Eyaru appealed to the Ministry of Health to provide funding for the construction of a modern mortuary, as the existing facility can no longer adequately handle the corpses due to its poor condition.