Baringo County Referral Hospital (BCRH) is set to dispose of 42 unclaimed bodies that have been lying at the mortuary for two years.
Speaking to K24 Digital, Medical Superintendent Garrison Abakhalwa noted that this is aimed at decongesting the facility for efficiency.
He regretted that the situation had in the long run overwhelmed the morgue attendants, therefore, hindering their services at the facility.
He pointed out that the huge numbers could lead to the breakdown of the freezers and therefore hampering preservation.
“We have just received a court order to dispose of unclaimed bodies which have been lying for 2 years, this mortuary has a capacity of storing up to 48 bodies but now has 57 bodies worsening the situation at the morgue,” Abakhalwa said.
Abakhalwa hinted that out of the 42 unclaimed bodies, 33 were those of newborns who died due to birth-related complications.
“33 bodies are for newborns who died during or after delivery while nine were brought up by police having been abandoned due to banditry attacks, suicides and other causes,” he added.
He also urged the residents to make a habit of picking up the bodies of their loved ones within a week to help in decongestion hence smooth services in the facility.
The doctor however requested families who had filed missing person reports to visit the hospital in a bid to identify the bodies before the disposal which he said was any time between the week.