Resting place shut

By VERONICA FRANCIS
Residents in the nation’s capital, will not be able to bury their dead this festive season.
This is because the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) will be closing the 9-Mile cemetery, outside of Port Moresby in commemoration with the festive season, starting today until Jan 3, when normal business hours will resume.
 A shocked resident upon reading the public notice questioned: “What will happen to the dead bodies ready for burial?”
She said it was costly to keep a dead body at the funeral home for a long period, adding sometimes the morgue at the Port Moresby General Hospital was filled to capacity.
She questioned NCDC if it had any alternate options for the burial of dead bodies during the festive season.
Funeral Home director, Emily Agonia told The National that the Funeral Home at Erima had extra space to cater for dead bodies, adding there was a standby freezer which could cater for up to 25 dead bodies when the Funeral Home was full.
However, she said currently the Funeral Home could cater up to a maximum of 14 bodies excluding the standby freezer.
A morgue attendant with the Port Moresby General Hospital, who wishes to remain anonymous, said at the moment there was space to cater for only 15 bodies, however, there were also two standby containers if the main morgue was full.