Thursday, March 28, 2024

Samfya residents keeping corpses in homes

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SUBJECTS of Senior Chief Mwewa and Chief Chitembo of the Ng’umbo people of Samfya district in Luapula Province are keeping bodies of dead relatives in homes before burying them because the fridges at Lubwe Mission Hospital mortuary have broken down.

And Senior Chief Mwewa and Chief Chitembo have appealed to Government to urgently help repair or replace the fridges at the mortuary.

Kwanga Cultural Association chairman general Eustace Bobo, speaking at the Kwanga traditional ceremony last weekend on behalf of the Bena Ng’oma chiefs who rule the Ng’umbo, Unga, Mukulu and Chishinga people, said hospital authorities have been asking people to carry bodies to their homes while burial arrangements are being made.

Mr Bobo said the lack of a working mortuary is causing a lot of distress among bereaved families, who are being forced to hastily bury their loved ones for fear of decomposition.

“We are appealing to the government to urgently help repair the equipment, especially the fridges, at our hospital’s mortuary because people are going through a lot of hardships when a relative dies,” Mr Bobo said.

And speaking through Mr Bobo, chiefs Mwewa Chibale and Chitembo appealed to the government to help address the situation, saying it has become difficult for people to keep bodies in their homes because of high temperatures.

“We have had this problem for a long time now, but nothing is being done about it. It is distressing to ask people to carry bodies of their loved ones to their homes when we are supposed to keep them in the mortuary under controlled temperatures,” one hospital official who asked not to be named said.
Some villagers said they are forced to keep the bodies of dead relatives indoors during the night when the temperatures are low and outside during the day to avoid decomposition.

The mortuary has not been functional for more than one year.

Last week relatives of an aged man and a child at Nshikila and Masowe villages were forced to carry the bodies to their villages where they kept them while burial arrangements were being made.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

21 COMMENTS

  1. This is a very sad development those in charge need to sort out as soon as possible, it is inhuman to leave people in such a state

  2. This is not only tragic, but unacceptable. Yet someone has the audacity to purchase Lexus vehicles worth K3.6 billion. This is the kind of story that makes our blood boil with rage. Thank God that we now have a government which will now prioritize on the needs of our people. Lord have mercy.

  3. Thats pathetic…….its inhuman to live in such a situation but hope people responsible must look into that with an eagle eye.

  4. you wonder why somebody went on to buy so called mobile hospitals when some parts of the country faced with challenges like this, lack of mortaury or not repairing is unacceptable. Maybe zambia needs mobile mortuaries too.

  5. Things like these shouldn’t be allowed to happen in the first place. Fridges should be kept working at all times. Is this too complicated to handle? We still live like people lived two centuries ago. This is extremely annoying and embarrassing! I can’t believe there actually was a government that  took care of these small but absolutely necessary services.  

  6. for me i cry wen eva such development occurs,iam one of the guys that comes from Lubwe where the same hospital is.The hospital had been neglected to the dogs by the wud be finished party MMD..The health sector in this country.The change we voted for shud a benefit to o zambians.Iam watching closely

  7. What a shame when I think of the money coming from the mining company that the government fails . . . ..who are the mp’s?? They should be doing their job and not just campaigning for jobs.  Useless non performers

  8. Its very sad indeed & unacceptable.They z no way we can b treating the dead ones in ths way,thts why we cant let Rupiah & his vuvuzela nt to feel the wrath of his excellency MCS.

  9. First of all it is indeed very sad. Who is the MP in the AREA???. Can he speak with Minister of Health to SORT OUT THIS? The governement is never bankrupt, can some sort this as a matter of URGENCY. WHY NEGLET people to this extent. MOBILE HOSPITAL was a crazy idea yet you fail to even rehabilitate a moturary? Unpredented development, Damm you RB and the former minister of Health. My heart bleeds to see a situation like this happen its like we are still living in colonial days when dead bodies used to imbibed. MP, MP, MP, people voted for you wheather you are PF or MMD can you interced and sort out this inhuman situation

  10. Its good that MMD is now out, i know for sure that my government will look into that coz its the government for the people.

  11. The fridges have been broken for more than a year.why wait all this time ??/Who are your Mps?and the same chiefs were campaigning for MMD. God precious hear us.

  12. Is this news honestly.This happens throughout Zambia’s rural areas.Go to Mumbwa’s nangoma,go to mongu,go to ndola rural,go to kafue,go to choma,go to mulobezi,go to shangombo,go to petauke,katete,nyimba ,katopola,chadiza,go to mwachisompola,go to kalindawalo,lundazi,musupazi,go to Kitwe even as close to town as kapoto compound ,go to chongwe,some people don’t even know mortuaries do exist .A call for the government to come in is a good step ahead though the event is not new at all

  13. @14 BUDDAH BURY THEM SAME DAY IS OK THAT IS IF THE RELATIVES DONT HAVE MONEY FOR FUNERAL EXPENSES, BUT STIL IT IS UNACCEPTEBLE TO OUR SOCIETY TO KEEP CORPSES IN HOUSES,CAN SOME ONE GO AND BUY EXPENSIVE CARS WORTH BILLIONS OF KWACHA AND A SMALL PERCERTAGE OF THAT CAN PROVIDE MORTUARY FACILITIES,IT MEANS SOME WHERE,SOMEHOW THERE IS A PROBLEM,

  14. If it is your tradition, or whatever you call it, to keep corpses in your house, let it be so but you must never force it on others. The mortuaries in all hospitals must be kept in good working conditions.

  15. Poverty is very bad. These are good causes NGOs should champion.

    Another way is for someone or the hospital or LT to commence a fund raising campaign on the internet so that people can make donations. It may not be a lot of money required to buy new equipment. Poeple in the diaspora can donate to that.

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