Poor funding stalls mortuary project

In an interview yesterday, the local district medical officer, Dr Takaitei Kanongara said progress on the construction of a new mortuary wing has been stalled due to a lack of funds.
“Work on the expansion of the mortuary has been stopped due to lack of funds. The mortuary’s cooling system is constantly breaking down because the mortuary is holding more bodies than its capacity. The situation is worse during the rainy season when police bring in bodies of people who would have drowned in Limpopo River while trying to cross illegally into South Africa,” he said.
Dr Kanongara said they conducted paupers’ burials occasionally with the assistance of the Department of Social Welfare to ease the load.
Recently the hospital conducted pauper’s burials of four unclaimed bodies.
The Beitbridge District Hospital mortuary has a capacity to  carry only six bodies but due to the ever-increasing number of unclaimed bodies; the facility is forced to accommodate as many as 60 resulting in strain on the compressor. Some of the unclaimed bodies would be of border jumpers picked up by police in bushy area along the Limpopo River after having been robbed and murdered by organised criminal syndicates.
It is however, envisaged that when complete, the new facility would be able to accommodate at least 22 bodies. Dr Kanongara appealed to Government and other well-wishers to assist with funds to complete the mortuary project.
He said the project to expand the mortuary started many years ago.
“At the moment we have a problem with our compressor which constantly breaks down. This has forced us to conduct paupers’ burials to offload the mortuary. World Vision Zimbabwe once chipped in with $12 500 to acquire some of the equipment for the mortuary.
“What is now left is for us to put some fittings including the procurement of 16 trays and these should be made of stainless steel.
We also need to work on some structural adjustment to the building,” he said.