Nakaseke hospital stuck with four unclaimed bodies

Nakaseke, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Nakaseke district leaders are concerned about the increasing number of unclaimed bodies at Nakaseke hospital.

Goretti Mukagatale, the district female councilor for Butalangu and Wakyato sub counties says that four unclaimed dead bodies have been at the hospital for a week.

Mukagatale explains that two dead bodies were dropped by the police at the hospital from Kinyogogga sub county whereas the other two were patients who died at the facility. She says that due to inadequate funds and late financial releases, the hospital is unable to treat as well as bury the unclaimed bodies in time.

Ntumwa Matovu, a senior administrator at Nakaseke hospital explains that at least three bodies from the sub-counties of Kinyogogga, Kinoni, and Ngoma are dropped at the hospital mortuary per week which impacts their budget.

Ntumwa says that the unclaimed bodies brought to the hospital include those knocked down by vehicles or murdered.

Ntumwa says that the hospital spends at least 70,000 Shillings to bury each body which eats into the hospital’s meager budget.

Ignatius Koomu, the LCV chairman of Nakaseke explains that there is an influx of casual labourers on the farms but once they die, their families never claim the bodies or are not even notified.

Koomu says that the district council passed a resolution directing Ngoma town council to buy land and bury the unclaimed bodies to minimize the costs incurred in transporting bodies to the hospital.

Recently, Ngoma sub-county authorities in Nakaseke district revealed that they had embarked on registering all workers on farms including casual labourers due to the increased cases of crime in the area.

Ben Nuwamanya, the Nakaseke District Police Commander said that registration will help identify their families and notify them in case they are killed or die on the farms.

Moses Muyambi, the Deputy Resident District Commissioner says that he intends to summon all LCIII chairpersons and direct them to embrace the registration of casual labourers on the farms.

Muyambi says that any casual laborer who resists the exercise will be arrested.

“People buy land in the area and bring in casual labourers from other districts. When these people die there, we can’t find their families and these are the unclaimed bodies that end up at the hospital” Muyambi said.

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