The morgue at Beni General Hospital, located in the Democratic Republic of Congo, recently benefited from a significant capacity expansion. Formerly limited to only four places, it now has twelve new places since last week. This increase in capacity was made possible by obtaining two additional refrigerated containers, donated after advocacy with MONUSCO, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Doctor Jérémie Muhindo, medical director of the Beni general hospital, is delighted with this expansion, considering that it finally meets the needs of a population of approximately 520,000 inhabitants. Previously, the public morgue in Beni faced significant difficulties in storing bodies, which was particularly problematic in an area hit by several Ebola outbreaks in recent years. Indeed, it is crucial to avoid any contact with the body of a person who died of Ebola in order to prevent the spread of the disease. The preservation of bodies in a morgue is therefore an essential tool for breaking the chain of contamination and protecting public health.
Prior to this expansion, the public morgue in Beni only had a death room, where bodies were kept for a few hours before being buried. This lack of adequate facilities posed hygiene problems and increased the risk of disease transmission. The commissioning of new refrigerated containers has made it possible to eliminate this “dead room” and to improve the conditions for the preservation of bodies.
However, doctor Jérémie Muhindo believes that this expansion is not enough and pleads for a morgue with a much larger capacity. With Beni’s skyrocketing demographics and the challenges of massacres and urban crime, he estimates that a morgue with a capacity of fifty places would be necessary to meet the growing demand.
In conclusion, the expansion of the Beni General Hospital morgue is a major step forward for the region. It will make it possible to better meet the needs for the preservation of bodies, in particular in the event of epidemics, and will thus contribute to preserving public health. However, there are still challenges to be overcome to ensure that Beni has an adequate morgue to cope with its ever-increasing population