Council to bury 19 unclaimed bodies

THE Lusaka City Council (LCC) will in the next 14 days bury 19 unclaimed bodies at a cost of K32, 000, says Public Relations Manager George Sichimba.

Mr Sichimba said in a statement yesterday that the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) had asked the LCC to bury the 19 unclaimed bodies which had been laying in the hospital for some time.

He said the Zambia Police Service had already authorised the burying of the bodies and that according to a letter from UTH, the unclaimed bodies had given rise to an unpleasant mortuary environment contrary to the Public Health Act Cap 295 of the Laws of Zambia.

“Consequently, LCC has caused a public notice in the press about its intention to bury the unclaimed bodies. This is in accordance with the provisions of Section 61, Paragraph 41 of the Second Schedule of the Local Government Act Cap 281 of Laws of Zambia,” he said.

He said in accordance with the law, 14 days had been assigned in the notice for the general public to claim or identify any of the bodies and that at the expiry of the assigned period, all the bodies which would not had been claimed would be buried.

Mr Sichimba said this would be the fourth time this year that the council would be burying unclaimed bodies from health facilities around Lusaka city.

“If nobody will be claimed, the total number of unclaimed bodies buried this year will stand at 126 costing, council over K200, 000. The first batch had 40 bodies, the second had 21 bodies, the third had 46 and current one has 19 bodies,” he said.