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‘Evacuate abandoned bodies in two weeks or they face mass burial’

By Ann Godwin, PortHarcourt
07 March 2018   |   4:25 am
The new Chief Medical Director of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Prof. Henry Ugboma, has given three weeks ultimatum to families that abandon the body...

UPTH

The new Chief Medical Director of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Prof. Henry Ugboma, has given three weeks ultimatum to families that abandon the body of their relations at the hospital’s morgue for over three years to urgently evacuate them, otherwise the bodies may been given mass burial.

The UPTH boss lamented that the tertiary health institution was using its resources in taking care of the bodies but warned that the hospital would no longer allow such expenses.
Ugboma stated this yesterday in Port Harcourt during his maiden briefing.

He said: “Most bodies have been abandoned in our mortuary for many years. We have been using our resources to take care of them. We have made announcements that people who have bodies that have stayed for over three years should come and evacuate them, yet they are not complying. We are giving the grace of two weeks for the owners of the bodies to come and pick them else we will carry out mass burial for all the unclaimed bodies.”

Also, the UPTH boss condemned the Cashless System Service (CSS), introduced for patients by the management of the health institution, saying it encouraged misappropriation of funds. He said the cashless system has been closed and the hospital has reverted to the usual physical cash payment.

Ugboma said the manual payment has helped the hospital to generate more funds, adding that the CSS affected UPTH heavily.

He also warned all staff members of the hospital to maintain integrity and professionalism in the discharge of their duties, warning that any one caught in sharp practices would be sacked.

“I wish to assure members of the public that their concern and complaints are already receiving management’s serious attention,” he said.

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