Prime
Luweero hospital overwhelmed with decomposing unclaimed bodies
A section of Luweero dsitrict officials at a site visit to inspect construction progress at Luweero Hospital on May 19, 2023.PHOTO/DAN WANDERA
What you need to know:
- Mr Chris Johns Buwembo, the Luweero Town Council chairperson, said the budget challenge to ensure management of the unclaimed bodies cuts across the different government departments in the district.
Authorities at Luweero Hospital have raised concern over the high number of unclaimed bodies that are dropped at the facility mortuary by the police and the additional costs in meeting the burial expenses.
On average, the hospital receives nine unclaimed bodies every month besides bodies of patients who die at the facility.
Mr Robert Lukenge, the senior hospital administrator said they lack refrigeration facilities but most of the time they keep the bodies for more than two days which creates an unbearable stench within the hospital premises.
“The unclaimed bodies that are dropped at the hospital come with an additional expense. We have already notified the district authorities. We need an additional budget to meet the additional costs including; securing of the body bags, transportation and grave digging expenses that have been left to the hospital,” Mr Lukenge said in an interview on Sunday.
He said management of the unclaimed bodies after the postmortem is supposed to be the responsibility of Luweero Town Council since the hospital does not own a cemetery.
Mr Lukenga revealed that the unclaimed bodies, which are usually picked from different streets in Luweero Town and from Kampala-Gulu highway are mostly those of mentally sick people, victims of robbery as well as hit-and-run.
“We don’t condemn the police for referring the bodies at the hospital for postmortem but the fact is that management of the bodies after the postmortem becomes a challenge for the hospital,” he added.
But Mr Chris Johns Buwembo, the Luweero Town Council chairperson, said the budget challenge to ensure management of the unclaimed bodies cuts across the different government departments in the district.
“The Town Council is not able to meet the burial expenses of the unclaimed bodies as expected. These are additional costs that have not been taken care of by the budget. We have a burial place at Kalongo Village but the place is now filled up. Our plans are focused on purchasing another piece of land,” he revealed.
“It is true that the budgets are strained but we shall find means of ensuring that the problem is resolved,” Mr Erasto Kibirango, the Luweero District Chairperson said
At Luweero Hospital, the authorities are undertaking a master plan to reorganise the facility and ensure standard structures are in place to meet service provision. The hospital located on the busy Kampala-Gulu highway receives emergency cases, including crash victims.
Luweero Hospital is located on the Kampala-Gulu highway which is prone to road crashes and other forms of criminality.
A visit to the hospital mortuary over the weekend revealed that the problem is grave with the pungent stench emanating from the decomposing bodies inside the morgue.
Most of the unclaimed bodies are victims of road accidents, gunshots during robberies and drowning.
