Kayanza : the only morgue saturated, residents forced to bury their loved ones in a hurry

The Kayanza province (northern Burundi) has only one morgue. It is therefore too busy, and recently, it was saturated and the hospital is forcing families to quickly organize the burial of their loved ones to free up space. Residents of Kayanza say that family members living in other provinces can no longer accompany the deceased to their final resting place. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

The complaint is made by residents who no longer have time to properly organize the burial of the dead.

“The hospital requires us to quickly free up space in the morgue. While normally we should have a family meeting, think about the date of the burial while considering several factors, it is no longer possible. We have no choice at the moment. When a family member dies, they must be buried as quickly as possible,” say residents who spoke to SOS Médias Burundi.

Provincial health authorities confirm the information. They explain that “we have only one morgue in the entire province. It is often saturated and we demand that the bodies do not spend many days in the cold rooms. This is the only possible thing to better manage the few rooms available in the small mortuary building. We have no other choice.”

Residents lament that their family members living in other provinces can no longer attend a hastily organized burial.

“In our culture, participating in the burial of a family member is a meaningful way to show love for your loved one. But when you only have one or two days, it is difficult for you to participate. It hurts your spirit not to bury your family member,” Kayanza residents lament.

They demand that another morgue be built.

Health officials in Kayanza say they are unable to finance the construction of another mortuary.

“It is not as simple a project as most people think. Building a morgue is very expensive. But since it is a major need, we have already submitted the matter to the hierarchy. We are waiting for the answer,” health authorities in Burundi’s most populous province said.

Families who can afford it take the remains to the morgue at the hospital in Ngozi (northern border province), but this costs them a lot of money.