The Police Hospital is expected to carry out a mass burial on Monday, May 22, 2023, as part of measures to decongest the hospital’s morgue, a highly placed source at the hospital disclosed on Friday. 

Fridges at the hospital’s morgue had been shut down for days, sparking public health concerns after heavy stench engulfed the hospital and its surroundings.  

The source told the GNA that the fridges at the morgue were shut down to defreeze for easy retrieval of the bodies to be prepared for the mass burial. 

The source said some of the bodies had decomposed, leading to the stench at the hospital. 

It said the situation was avoidable provided the hospital had adequate resources (including formalin for the preservation of the bodies) and enough capacity to store more bodies for a longer period. 

Earlier, a senior officer at the hospital attributed the stench emanating from the morgue to a large number of unidentified dead bodies at the morgue, with some fridges broken down. 

The source said the situation had persisted for about a month.  

The GNA and other clients who visited the lab Wednesday morning were turned away by an Officer. 

The Officer said the lab was shut down because the offensive odour from the morgue was not good for the staff and patients. 

The GNA observed that clients who were aware of the situation were in nose masks, those unaware, buried their noses in their palms as they rushed out of the space. 

Dead bodies preserved at the Police Hospital morgue are made up of paupers, unknown former patients, abandoned dead bodies, unidentified accident and crime victims.