{UAH} MPs stunned by unclaimed bodies in Moroto Hospital
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MPs stunned by unclaimed bodies in Moroto Hospital
Dr Filbert Nyeko, the hospital director told members that the hospital does not have a burial ground to bury unclaimed bodies.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 30 2016
Ms Judith Akello the Woman MP for Agago, stands near the entrance of the 'mortuary'. Photo by Steven Ariong
By Steven Ariong
Moroto- Members of Parliament attached to the Public Accounts Committee were shocked out of their skins and others shed tears after visiting Moroto Hospital and saw unclaimed dead bodies rotting away in a room that serves as a mortuary.
The team led by Mr Gerald Karuhanga visited the hospital as part of a fact-finding mission on the Auditors General reports about how the regional referral hospital is being run.
On Friday, the team visited various hospital sections like wards before being as taken to the mortuary.
But about ten metres from the mortuary, the MPs were hit by an acrid smell from the mortuary which is dotted with rotting unclaimed bodies.
Some MPs did not proceed to the mortuary because they could not stand the foul smell.
Only Mr Karuhanga, Ms Judith Akello the Woman MP for Agago and Matheniko MP John Baptist Lokii managed to reach to the mortuary and endured to view skeletons and several rotten unclaimed bodies in the mortuary.
The MPs later held a meeting with the hospital administration where a number of issues including understaffing and lack of accommodation were raised.
Dr Filbert Nyeko, the hospital director told members that the hospital does not have a burial ground to bury unclaimed bodies.
"The hospital does not have space to bury unclaimed bodies. The municipal council responsible for burying unclaimed bodies seems not to be bothered," he said.
Mr Karuhanga said the health ministry should urgently a construct a mortuary at the hospital.
"This is unacceptable for the bodies of Ugandans rotting in an open place like this. It's not proper," he said.
Ms Akello asked her colleagues from Karamoja to sensitise communities to bury the dead. Some communities in Karamoja shun dead bodies and it is this culture which is worsening the situation.
"We are going to work hard to ensure that the communities accept to bury their dead relatives," Mr Lokii said.
The hospital had been battling dead bodies in the mortuary to the extent in June; medical workers at the hospital suspended carrying postmortems on bodies because some people could bring them and abandon them there.
In July, the hospital management were considering selling unclaimed bodies to universities and other research and training institutions.
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