Mpilo Mortuary overload

Mpilo Hospital Mortuary continues to experience on overload of corpses due to delays by relatives of the deceased in collecting the bodies of their loved ones.

Conditions at the mortuary are reportedly so bad that maggots and rats are feasting on corpses.

Mpilo Hospital's acting chief executive officer, Wedu Ndebele, however denied the situation was that dismal saying the information was unfounded and malicious.

He said although the mortuary was overloaded the situation was better than before.

"Our mortuary is working okay currently although it is overloaded. It is has a carrying capacity of 30 but we have just under 80 bodies at the moment.

That is not too bad because at other times it has held up to 200 bodies," said Ndebele.

He said due to the prolonged stay of corpses at the mortuary, the hospital authorities were forced in November this year to carry out pauper's burials as a way of reducing pressure on the mortuary.

Ndebele could not be drawn into revealing the number of pauper's burials that the hospital carried out.

"We appeal for people to collect their deceased loved ones in time to avoid overloading the cooling system, which breaks down frequently.

Pauper burials are done regularly when funds permit," he said.