The Management of Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH) has announced today that over 300 abandoned corpses in its mortuary will be disposed of by March 2025 at the latest.
The Chief Medical Director, Prof. Bernard Ugwu, stated in a press release today that relatives and friends of those whose bodies have been in the mortuary for longer than six months should come forward to claim the bodies and make arrangements for burial ceremonies to honor their loved ones.
Surprisingly, some of these corpses have been at the hospital for 1-2 years, abandoned under the care of mortuary attendants. It is only fitting to honor the deceased, no matter the circumstances surrounding their passing.
Findings have shown that many bodies remain unclaimed in mortuaries due to unpaid bills, lack of proper identification, family disputes, financial difficulties in organizing funerals, police involvement, and other reasons.
Prof. Ugwu has set a three-week deadline from this announcement for all concerned parties to claim their loved ones’ remains. After this period, actions will be taken by the end of March to permanently dispose of the bodies, and the hospital will not take responsibility for any issues that may arise.
