Concerns for unclaimed bodies in morgue

BODIES stacked at the Madang Modilon Hospital morgue dates back to 2016 and need immediate burial, a spokesman says.
A morgue officer, who wished not to be identified, said five bodies were there since 2016-17.
The officer said others were from 2017 and 2018 and some since April this year.
Up to 14 bodies are unclaimed.
He said some name tags on the bodies were worn out and those bodies could not be identified anymore.
“We just need to bury them all right away,” the officer said.
Stacey Piniau, from the Madang urban environment and health division, said the hospital needed to consult them immediately so that they could certify an area at the cemetery for burial.
Madang Mayor Joe Yama said the bodies should not be left alone in the morgue for too long.
Yama said people who knew they had bodies of their relatives in the morgue should make it their business to claim them for burial right away.
He also said the town cemetery was already full and people were burying bodies on top of old graves.
Yama said the Madang urban local level government was now faced with the challenge of locating a suitable area to establish a new town public cemetery.
He said the old town cemetery has existed since the 1960s.