Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has requested members of the public to come forward and collect the bodies of their loved ones that have remained unclaimed at the hospital’s morgue.
In a notice issued on March 23, Kenyatta National Hospital stated that they were holding 480 bodies at its Farewell Home. They have given members of the public seven days to come and identify the bodies. Failure to which, the hospital will seek permission from the courts to dispose of the bodies.
“Kenyatta National Hospital is in possession of a number of unclaimed bodies at its Farewell Home. Members of the public are therefore requested to identify and collect the bodies within 7 days; failure to which the hospital will seek authority from the courts to dispose of them,” read a statement from Kenyatta National Hospital.
Out of the 480 bodies, 102 are adults, while 378 are children. Of the adult bodies, 85 are males, while 17 are females.
The issue has once again highlighted the long duration of time spent by bodies in public mortuaries. What does the law say?
Under the Public Health (Public Mortuaries) Rules of 1991, it is not allowed for a body to stay in a mortuary for more than 10 days. After the expiry of the 10 days, a charge is imposed on a daily basis. When the body is not collected, the process of disposing of it begins by the hospitals with a court order and a public notice.
This process may take a few weeks.
There may also be cases where the family is allowed to keep the body for a longer period if there are legal issues. The family is expected to notify the Medical Officer of Health in writing.
The mortuaries affected by the rules and regulations in the article are KNH’s Farewell Home, Nairobi Funeral Home, Mbagathi Hospital mortuary, and Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital funeral home.
There are many bodies that stay in the mortuary uncollected due to different reasons. Some families may not afford the money for the hospital and mortuary bills, and in some cases, the family may not be aware that their relative is dead. Some bodies may also be abandoned.
The High Court ruled that hospitals cannot keep bodies for unpaid medical bills, a practice that had contributed to the growing number of unclaimed bodies.
New guidelines now require that each body is stored properly in a body bag, with records such as DNA and fingerprints taken to help with identification in the future.
KNH is now urging families to act quickly and collect the bodies within the given time.
