MPs oppose gov’t withdrawal from burying COVID-19 victims

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT | A section of members of parliament have criticized the ministry of health for allowing families to bury their dead who succumb to COVID-19.

The government had initially taken up the burial arrangements, to guarantee safe and dignified burials, as usually done when dealing with highly infectious diseases.

Previously, the Uganda Red Cross Society had been carrying out the safe and dignified burials of all COVID-19 suspected and confirmed deaths, but the new guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health indicated that  their teams will just disinfect the body of the deceased and wrap it in a burial bag before handing it to family members for burial.

Some members of parliament who include the Bufumbira East MP Dr. James Nsaba Buturo and Bunyaruguru county MP John Twesigye Ntamuhiira say giving the body of the COVID-19 victim to the families for burial will accelerate the spread of the disease in the community.

John Twesigye says that such a body should be kept in a hospital mortuary and transferred for burial on the day the victim is laid to rest.

Buturo says handing over the body of a COVID-19 victim to families is not advisable especially now that Ugandans have refused to adhere to the coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs).

He proposes that once a family loses a person due to COVID the district health teams should take up the role of supervising and burying such a body.

However, the State minister of Health for General Duties Robinah Nabanja says government will not change its decision and families should learn to follow strict guidelines as they bury their loved ones who succumb to COVID-19.

This is because looking at the trajectory of infections the government will soon be over stretched by the number of people succumbing to the viral respiratory disease.

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