MASS BURIAL: UNIOSUN TEACHING HOSPITAL GIVES 14-DAY ULTIMATUM FOR UNCLAIMED CORPSES

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The management of Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Osun State, has declared the mortuary of the hospital congested with unclaimed bodies.

It subsequently gave 14 days for relatives who have corpses in the mortuary unit of the hospital between January 2019 and June 2023 to come and retrieve them.

The hospital noted that it would resort to mass burial of all unclaimed bodies after 14 days of the announcement as an alternative to decongest the mortuary.

A statement issued by the management obtained in Osogbo on Saturday read, “The management of UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital, Osogbo wishes to inform the general public that the hospital’s mortuary is presently congested and crowded with unclaimed bodies.

“In view of this development, the management hereby calls on relatives who have corpses in the mortuary unit of the hospital between January 2019 and June 2023 to come and retrieve them within 14 days of this announcement.

“It should be noted that the management will resort to mass burial of all unclaimed bodies after 14 days of this announcement as an alternative to decongest the mortuary.”

Similarly, in September 2023, it was reported that the Federal Medical Centre in Keffi, Nasarawa State, gave a two-week ultimatum for the retrieval of nine corpses that were unclaimed in its mortuary for an extended period.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the medical centre, Miss Esther Bature, and made available to newsmen in the Keffi Local Government Area of the state.

According to Bature, the decision by the management of the medical centre to issue the deadline was because some of the c were brought to the hospital in the year 2021 and others in 2022, thereby exceeding the time limit of six months permitted by law.

Usually, corpses of some accident victims remain unclaimed on hospitals because sometimes, their relatives may not be aware of their whereabouts.

Some relatives of deceased persons also avoid claiming their corpses because of accumulated bills.