Karonga hospital mortuary refrigeration out of commission, decomposing bodies have become a health hazard

Karonga district hospital can only keep dead bodies in the mortuary for only 24 hours before they start decomposing and becoming a health hazard to the staff and people in the surrounding areas officials have confided to the Maravi Post.

This is because the mortuary has developed a fault that the hospital technicians have failed to fix according to the district hospital spokesperson Harold Mtambo.

He said clients who want to keep the dead bodies for more than a day are paying some money to the mortuary attendants for embalming process.

“Clients are forced to take their dead bodies within 24 hours. This is part of protecting the bodies from decomposing,” said Mtambo.

“The development has been there for some months now and we are therefore appealing for help,” he added.

The development is affecting the bereaved families who have no immediate means to transport deceased relatives home.