Relatives of deceased given time to claim bodies

THE Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) is allowing time for the relatives of deceased people whose bodies have been listed for a mass burial, to come and claim the bodies, a doctor says.
PMGH director of medical services Dr Kone Sobi said the mass burial had been approved and the list of the deceased published last Tuesday in the newspaper.
“Since then, we have received letters from relatives requesting that the mass burial be delayed because they recognised their relatives on the list,” he said.
“So we have given time for them to come and pick up the bodies.”
He said obviously, the pandemic had affected the families and kept them busy as well.
“So they (now) can come and move the bodies of their loved ones and give them a decent burial,” he said.
He said once that was over, they would move ahead with the mass burial.
Dr Sobi said normally after the names were published, the relatives were allowed 14 days to pick up the bodies.
The PMGH mortuary had been overflowing with bodies prompting officials to plan a mass burial.