Appalling Situation At Katima Mortuaries

ALLOW me space in your newspaper to alert the public to what I think is a matter of concern.

During my one-month-long holiday in my home town Katima Mulilo, I noted some issues needing urgent attention such as the condition of the State and Police mortuaries. I attended four funeral and burial ceremonies and had a chance to enter both the State and Police mortuaries where I observed that mortuary coolers were not functioning properly and as a result corpses were rotting and stomachs bursting.The smell is terrible, with flies all over, and only those with strong hearts could enter the mortuary.I remember when we collected my cousin’ s body from the Police mortuary body that viewing and dressing of the body was not possible.Some residents claim they have observed this problem for a long time but it seems as if the hospital lacks qualified mechanics.I would suggest that the hospital management appoints and train local people at the town to become qualified mechanics to repair those coolers instead of hiring private individuals who are sometimes not available.I am under the impression that the hospital staff are the ones who should be responsible for teaching their people to live healthier lives, but in this case they pose a health hazard to the residents at the town.For how long are people of that region going to suffer when burying their loved ones? Will the Health Ministry step in and investigate these issues or at least improve the conditions at the State mortuary? It is embarrassing that every time the town of Katima Mulilo has problem after problem.- Simataa Wa Mwilima – WindhoekI attended four funeral and burial ceremonies and had a chance to enter both the State and Police mortuaries where I observed that mortuary coolers were not functioning properly and as a result corpses were rotting and stomachs bursting. The smell is terrible, with flies all over, and only those with strong hearts could enter the mortuary. I remember when we collected my cousin’ s body from the Police mortuary body that viewing and dressing of the body was not possible. Some residents claim they have observed this problem for a long time but it seems as if the hospital lacks qualified mechanics. I would suggest that the hospital management appoints and train local people at the town to become qualified mechanics to repair those coolers instead of hiring private individuals who are sometimes not available. I am under the impression that the hospital staff are the ones who should be responsible for teaching their people to live healthier lives, but in this case they pose a health hazard to the residents at the town. For how long are people of that region going to suffer when burying their loved ones? Will the Health Ministry step in and investigate these issues or at least improve the conditions at the State mortuary? It is embarrassing that every time the town of Katima Mulilo has problem after problem.- Simataa Wa Mwilima – Windhoek