Dr. Akintunde Ogunfeyimi, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) , Ondo State Specialist Hospital, Okitipupa, says heaps of unclaimed corpses that used to litter the hospitals’ morgue in the past years have been cleared.
Ogunfeyimi told the Newsmen on Tuesday in Okitipupa that the hospital cleared the corpses as part of the state government’s initiative to contain the Coronavirus pandemic.
He said that the state government gave the families with corpses in the hospital’s morgue a timeline and a token to pick such corpses or risk mass burial if they refused to obey such instructions.
He added that their greatest challenges were the COVID-19 pandemic which gave experts tough time and, of course, the #EndSARS protest against police brutality, which affected Okitipupa community.
According to him, heaps of unclaimed corpses have been our greatest challenge in the past years as families of the dead ones refused to collect the corpses of their deceased family members from our morgue.
“But last year during the COVID-19 pandemic, government’s intervened by giving families of the dead a timeline with a token. That directive and assistance to them helped us to clear our morgue of several unclaimed corpses.
“Now, we have a safer, cleaner and hygienic hospital emvironment to operate from and ensure our patients enjoyed a hygienic environment.
“COVID-19 pandemic and the #EndSARS protest were our greatest challenges in Year 2020 because they posed a threat to us as experts and as individuals,”Ogunfeyimi said.
He applauded the state government for its intervention and taking the health of its residents serious by doing all in its best for the residents to enjoy the dividends of democracy.
He, however, advised residents not to be ignorant of the resurgence of the second wave of COVID-19.
He advised that the only way to stay safe is by obeying all the precautionary measures put in place by the government, the NCDC and WHO against the spread of the deadly disease.