Maputo, 21 Mar (AIM) – The Mozambican authorities have expressed their concern at the alarming cases of corruption and the malfunctioning of public morgues in Maputo, since only 72 of the 140 drawers for preserving corpses are functioning at Maputo Central Hospital (HCM), the largest health unit in the country.
However, according to the Maputo Municipal Councillor for Health, Alice de Abreu, who paid a surprise visit, on Wednesday, to the HCM morgue, “users also contribute to the illicit charges by bribing the morgue workers.”
Abreu claimed that the fact that 68 of the freezer drawers are out of order encourages acts of corruption on the part of officials in order to provide space for the preservation of corpses.
Nevertheless, she said that work is underway to increase the capacity of the morgue to conserve bodies, in an investment of eight million meticais (about 125,000 dollars at the current exchange rate) made available by the Maputo Municipality.
“Right now, maintenance work is being carried out on the drawers so that they can function for longer”, she said.
Abreu called on users to avoid acts of corruption. “If I go to the HCM morgue and realize that there is no capacity for conservation because all the drawers are full, I shouldn’t try to bribe an employee to place the body of my loved one”.
Abreu also said that one of the biggest constraints at the morgue is the failure of citizens to collect the bodies of their deceased relatives, which also contributes to the low response capacity of the morgue.
“In 2023 alone, 3,000 bodies went unclaimed and after thirty days they were taken to the common grave”, she added.
(AIM)
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