Police morgue gets a breather
Some unclaimed bodies to be cremated at last
More than two months after a crisis was declared at the Windhoek police mortuary due to the high number of unclaimed bodies piling up in the cold room, 76 bodies are due to be cremated soon.
“We hope that the paperwork will be done in two weeks. Then we’ll start with the cremations,” Deputy Commissioner Jooste Mbandeka, head of the Namibian Police’s forensic pathology division, said this week.
In early July, the cold storage room at the mortuary, designed to hold a maximum of 30 bodies, was reportedly holding more than 180 bodies.
The police urged the public to ensure they identified missing relatives and friends and to claim the bodies, especially in light of the fact that there is no police budget for interring unclaimed bodies.
The severe overcrowding was “undignified” for the deceased, police forensic technicians said in July.
Moreover, they pointed out that an overpowering smell, unusual even for a morgue, was present, due to the overstuffed cold room which was working beyond capacity.
That posed health risks and caused distress for employees forced to endure the smell on a daily basis.
At the time, Mbandeka admitted that, with 20 years’ experience working at the facility, the degree of the unpleasant smell indicated that “something is not right”.
He explained that well-run mortuaries are supposed to be “cleaner than a hospital” and have a neutral smell.
A police forensic technician this week confirmed that since July, none of the unclaimed bodies have been claimed, and remain at the police morgue.
He said the overpowering odours are still present.
Two weeks after the media reported on the crisis, the Ministry of Health and Social Services agreed to assist the police by cremating 76 of the unclaimed bodies.
To date, the cremations have been delayed due to required paperwork that needs to be completed via the Ministry of Home Affairs.
JANA-MARI SMITH
“We hope that the paperwork will be done in two weeks. Then we’ll start with the cremations,” Deputy Commissioner Jooste Mbandeka, head of the Namibian Police’s forensic pathology division, said this week.
In early July, the cold storage room at the mortuary, designed to hold a maximum of 30 bodies, was reportedly holding more than 180 bodies.
The police urged the public to ensure they identified missing relatives and friends and to claim the bodies, especially in light of the fact that there is no police budget for interring unclaimed bodies.
The severe overcrowding was “undignified” for the deceased, police forensic technicians said in July.
Moreover, they pointed out that an overpowering smell, unusual even for a morgue, was present, due to the overstuffed cold room which was working beyond capacity.
That posed health risks and caused distress for employees forced to endure the smell on a daily basis.
At the time, Mbandeka admitted that, with 20 years’ experience working at the facility, the degree of the unpleasant smell indicated that “something is not right”.
He explained that well-run mortuaries are supposed to be “cleaner than a hospital” and have a neutral smell.
A police forensic technician this week confirmed that since July, none of the unclaimed bodies have been claimed, and remain at the police morgue.
He said the overpowering odours are still present.
Two weeks after the media reported on the crisis, the Ministry of Health and Social Services agreed to assist the police by cremating 76 of the unclaimed bodies.
To date, the cremations have been delayed due to required paperwork that needs to be completed via the Ministry of Home Affairs.
JANA-MARI SMITH
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