Ishongororo, Ibanda — Hon. Balaam’s visit to Ishongororo Health Centre IV took a distressing turn when he inspected the facility’s mortuary and found conditions that those at the health centre described as unfit for handling the dead with dignity.
During the visit, the mortuary attendant, Allan Twesigye, took the Minister through the facility and explained the challenges facing the unit.
The first concern raised was that the mortuary was poorly planned from the start. It was built without the basic design and facilities expected of a mortuary at a Health Centre IV that serves as a referral centre for northern Ibanda and neighbouring districts.
More disturbing was the finding that there are rats and cats that enter the mortuary and eat the dead bodies. Staff said the lack of proper sealing, doors and storage has left bodies exposed to animals, a situation that has caused pain and anger among bereaved families.
The visit also established that there are no fridges in the mortuary. Without cold storage, bodies cannot be preserved, forcing families to rush burials and leaving health workers with no way to keep bodies safely while relatives make arrangements or while police and medical processes are completed.
What shocked the Minister most was that 250 million shillings were spent on this mortuary. Residents and staff at the facility are now asking how such a sum could have been spent on a structure with no fridges, poor planning, and no protection against rats and cats.
Hon. Balaam is expected to raise the matter with the district leadership and the Ministry of Health for an audit of the 250 million shillings, an assessment of the construction, and urgent intervention to provide fridges, secure the building, and restore dignity to the dead at Ishongororo Health Centre IV.