Siaya county government will put up a modern funeral parlor within the county referral hospital, chief officer for governance, Walter Okello has said.
Okello said that this will be part of the county government’s resolve to improve health services to the tax payers and improve the work environment for the healthcare workers.
He was speaking at the county referral hospital in Siaya town today while receiving cold storage facilities and post mortem equipment bought by the county government for improvement of the hospital’s mortuary services.
Okello, who was flanked by the hospital superintendent, Dr Evans Ogoti and the mortuary superintendent, Willys Ochieng said that with the gadgets, staff at the mortuary will not have to perform physical embalming as the equipment will enable them to do the same scientifically.
“With this equipment, pathologists will also have their work lessened as they won’t have to use hacksaws to dissect bodies” he said.
The chief officer said the acquisition of the multimillion-shilling equipment was occasioned by a visit to the health facilities by governor James Orengo immediately after his election where it emerged that all the public mortuaries in the county lacked cold storage facilities to store bodies.
“It is important to treat our dead with the decency that they deserve,” he said adding “this goes a long way in providing a conducive environment for our health workers to do their work efficiently”.
Dr Ogoti said the facility had received cold storage facilities capable of preserving 48 bodies, body lift trolleys, post mortem kits and embalming set.
He said that currently, the county referral hospital mortuary only offers embalming services adding that the new equipment will enable it offer better body storage services.
His sentiments were echoed by the morgue superintendent, Willys Ochieng who said that the facility currently has a capacity of only 24 bodies.
By Philip Onyango
