- Doctor Waweru said the issue of organ donation was tricky because people have to commit to it before they died.
- The morticians noted that the most donated organs are the kidneys, cornea and liver
Image: LOISE MACHARIA
Morticians are hopeful that the government can develop laws and regulations to allow organ harvesting from unclaimed bodies.
Morticians and Allied Professionals Association of Kenya (Mapake) chairperson, Elkana Mwinami, said it was unfortunate that mortuaries, through the Public Service Act, were disposing bodies, yet patients were travelling outside the country to get organ transplants.
He said the same laws could be used to allow organ and body donation to medical schools for the students to use in learning.
Speaking recently during the 2nd Mapake Conference and Annual General Meeting at KMTC Nakuru on Sunday, he said the establishment of such laws and regulations could ease the burden of piling unclaimed bodies in the morgues and their eventual undignified disposal.
Mwinami, who was accompanied by the Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital Medical Superintendent, James Waweru, said disposing of unclaimed bodies was guided by the Public Health Act, which provides directions on how to handle them.
He said it was mentally disturbing for the mortuary workers to dispose of unclaimed bodies, adding that some of them have to undergo psychological therapy after the activity.
“We are Africans, and we are attached to our people regardless of whether we are related or not. It is not easy when one sees huge numbers of bodies of fellow human beings neglected in morgues and in huge numbers,” he said.
Mwinami said morticians were being trained on mental wellness, adding that the association was working towards ensuring the psychological health of its members was catered for.
“The other challenge is because morgues are strained in terms of facilities, and when the unclaimed bodies are many, it brings along a workload that cannot be well handled by the morticians,” he added.
Waweru said the issue of organ donation was tricky because people have to commit to it before they died.
“People sign the document to commit their organs for donation when they (the donors) are alive, of sound mind, and understand what they are doing,” he said.
He noted that the most donated organs are the kidneys, cornea and liver
Waweru encouraged the morticians to explore and share with other countries and learn how they deal with organ donation, especially when it comes to unclaimed bodies.
“The issue of someone having to travel outside the country for organ donation while we have all these organs here is something that can be researched and reconsidered,” he said.
On the issue of missing organs in corpses, Mwinami said it was possible for a body to be buried without some parts in situations where an autopsy is done and more tests are required
He was quick to add that burying a body without some tissue or organs is strictly done with the consent of the next of kin.
“No organ can be left in the facility for any other reason without the consent of the next of kin,” he said.
The Union official said that in every profession, there is a crop of rogue individuals who do not follow the set rules.
He said the association of morticians was coming up with a code of conduct for all members to sign and observe.
“Once singed, that particular mortician will be the only one liable if the body they are handling is found to be missing any part because there are procedures on how one can retain either a tissue or an organ,” he said.