Aron Mushaukwa

KATIMA MULILO – The Katima Mulilo state mortuary has not been functioning well over the past several months. As a result, those who lose their beloved ones are at times compelled to send the bodies of their relatives to private mortuaries at a great cost.

However, considering that not all people can afford to pay the fees demanded by private mortuaries, some corpses end up decomposing and residents have also complained about the foul smell emanating from the mortuary, where health standards have deteriorated, posing a health hazard.

This reporter understands that several morgue freezers are not working; thus, it becomes a challenge when bodies pile up. As if that was not enough, the freezers that are functioning can also not reach the required temperature to freeze the bodies.

In a response to the questions sent to the Zambezi Regional Health Director, Agnes Mwilima, she admitted that the Katima Mulilo state mortuary had experienced a breakdown of mortuary cabinets.
She also confirmed they had received complaints from the public that the mortuary was “not cooling as per the standard”.

She, however, assured that the matter is being addressed and the ministry has already started with the renovations. 

“The renovations started in September 2019, with general renovations and installation of 5 x 3tier new cabinets to replace the completely damaged cabinets. Phase one is complete, and we hope to move to phase two in the new financial year,” she explained.

Mwilima alluded “the five new cabinets can take 15 corpses, and in total, our mortuary is able to accommodate 36 corpses”. She noted phase one has cost government about N$1.2 million.