Female victims of violence filling up morgue at Angau hospital

By JIMMY KALEBE
The Angau Memorial Hospital morgue has received more female bodies than male bodies over the past two years, according to a hospital staff.
Morgue attendant Naru Koria said female deaths were related to domestic violence and other related issues.
He said there was also an increase in the number of infant deaths during childbirth and the bodies were left in the morgue and the parents had then failed to claim them.
“Some bodies are in the morgue for far too long and more are coming in every week so the morgue cannot hold the bodies,” he said.
In this month alone, 10 victims of road accidents were taken to the morgue.
Koria said there were two deep freezers and one cooler which have a holding capacity of 35 bodies each.
“Now it is over that number and we are piling the bodies one on top of the other and that is not good,” he said.
“Those who know that they have bodies of relatives still in the morgue must make an attempt to get them and do proper burials.
“It is like sending someone to prison to serve their term in jail, so we have to take them out and make a proper burial for them in order to release them.”
Meanwhile, Angau Memorial Hospital public relations officer Theo Zanningo confirmed yesterday that 21 people had been admitted to the emergency department following the accident at Nasuapum, outside Lae, on Saturday morning.
Of that total, 17 were treated for injuries, four admitted while seven died.
Zanningo said following other road accidents over the weekend at Ramu, Bulolo and Mumeng, 14 people had been treated for injuries while one had been admitted.