Report claims Selayang Hospital morgue running out of space

 

Selayang Hospital’s forensic unit is reportedly running out of space to cope with the increased number of deaths caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report.

The report by Utusan Malaysia also claimed that the hospital is appealing for refrigerated containers to be used as makeshift morgues.

“We have asked for new containers like those received by the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang. The situation here is crowded and is worsened by the lack of staff.

“It is understood that a new container will arrive in December due to a lack of funding. However, if there are contributions from NGOs, it could come sooner,” the report said, quoting an unnamed source that purportedly works at the hospital’s forensics unit.

The source also reportedly said he has taken his own initiative to ask a local elected representative for help but did not receive a reply.

Malaysiakini has not independently ascertained the veracity of the claims. A Health Ministry spokesperson told reporters today that the Selangor Health Department is preparing a statement in response to the report.

According to the report, the source claim that the Selayang Hospital forensics unit received 47 cadavers today, including 16 that non-Covid-19 deaths that were placed in refrigerators.

“Apart from that, 24 cadavers that are Covid-19 positive have been placed in containers, cadaver chambers, and autopsy rooms.

“There are bodies that couldn’t be kept in the chambers and were placed in the autopsy room table instead, and others are placed on wooden pallets on the floor,” the source was quoted as saying.

The source also reportedly claimed that the unit had to resort to various means to cope with a large number of deaths, such as by storing two cadavers in a single cadaver chamber. - Mkini