Jinja Regional Referral Hospital is struggling with limited mortuary space as unclaimed bodies collected by police from across the city and neighbouring areas remain at the facility for weeks, with some staying for up to two months or longer.
The hospital has capacity to store 18 bodies, but Dr Alfred Yayi, the Senior Executive Consultant, said the absence of a city mortuary and burial ground has worsened the situation.
The mortuary has three old refrigerators with capacity for nine bodies and three new ones donated by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), also holding nine bodies.
‘All the unclaimed bodies that are collected by police from around the city are normally brought and dumped here in our mortuary,’ Dr Yayi said.
He said some bodies remain at the hospital for months because the city has to seek permission from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) to bury them at the existing cemetery, which belongs to the army.
‘This process of getting clearance from UPDF means you find somebody staying here for up to two months and more,’ he said.
Dr Yayi said the hospital receives between five and 10 unclaimed bodies a month, depending on the season, and their prolonged stay occupies space needed for other bodies.
The hospital has engaged the city mayor, city clerk and city health officer to seek a lasting solution, including establishing a city mortuary and cemetery.
In the meantime, Dr Yayi said the city should support the hospital with human resources and ensure unclaimed bodies are removed as soon as possible.
Assistant City Clerk Mr John Choli Goloba acknowledged the challenge, saying Jinja is among the municipalities without a city mortuary and cemetery.
He said unclaimed bodies recovered by police are supposed to be handled through a city mortuary, but Jinja lacks the facility.
‘The process should be that we should have a mortuary and a city cemetery, which we access freely,’ Mr Goloba said.
Mr Goloba said acquiring land for a cemetery requires substantial funding and must go through the city budgeting process.
He proposed that, in the meantime, the city and hospital agree on a timeframe for keeping unclaimed bodies at the facility to prevent them from occupying the limited space for prolonged periods.
Jinja City Mayor Mr Abdulhafidh Nagaya said the city is working on an interim solution while pushing for a bigger mortuary. He said the hospital serves a wide area beyond Jinja, including parts of Mayuge, Buikwe, Kamuli, Buyende, Luuka, Kaliro, Bugiri and Iganga, as well as island communities.
‘We need a bigger, new city mortuary to be able to handle this big disaster that we are always getting,’ Mr Nagaya said.
He appealed to the government and Ministry of Health to support the city in establishing a modern mortuary.
The mayor also said the city plans to construct a small structure to provide office space for mortuary staff, who currently work in difficult conditions.
He said new refrigerators installed at the facility were placed in the staff member’s office because there was no alternative space.
‘We are looking here and there to see that we can put a small structure whereby these workers from that section can have somewhere to be when they are executing their duties,’ he said, adding that they would continue working with the hospital and government to find a permanent solution to the mortuary crisis.