Family returns corpse to mortuary protesting high mortuary costs

fuad lawal

May 3, 2015 12:09 PM

The corpse of a pregnant mother of three (names withheld) who died at a private hospital in Onitsha, during delivery on Monday, was reported to have been returned to the doctor of the hospital, by her relatives after the rejection of the corpse by officials at Onitsha General Hospital morgue, for not being able to pay N70,000 bill.

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The problem started when the relatives of the deceased pleaded with the doctor to allow them source for money to settle the bill of the woman, who was admitted at the hospital for delivery of her baby, but died in the process, Nigerian Tribune reports.

The relatives of the deceased woman left the hospital to begin raising money for the bill but came back two days later, saying they could not raise the money, and therefore, pleaded with the doctor to allow them to deposit the corpse at the Onitsha General Hospital, a request which was not granted by the doctor.

They left to arrange for the evacuation of the woman’s remains to the morgue but did not come back until two days after, thus resulting in the decomposition of the woman’s corpse.

A source disclosed that when the corpse was, however, taken to the morgue, the morgue attendants were said to have demanded for N70,000 on the ground that the corpse had decomposed, even as it was gathered that the bill demanded by the attendants, infuriated relatives of the deceased woman, who could not pay the bill and so resolved to return the corpse to the private hospital.

It was also gathered that they returned the corpse in the night when the hospital had shut its door, but broke the door and deposited the corpse.

It was learnt that the offensive smell of the decomposing corpse made neighbours in the area to report the matter to the Inland Town Police Station as both nurses and doctor fled because of the odour.

fuad lawal