The municipal morgue attached to the Maputo Central Hospital (HCM), Mozambique's largest health unit, is operating on half-gas, said the Health Councillor of the Maputo City Council.

Of the 140 refrigerated drawers for preserving bodies, only 72 are in operation. Because of this situation, illegal charges are being made for the preservation of bodies.

There are also unclaimed bodies, which contributes to the overcrowding of the morgue's half-capacity. Last year, around 3,000 bodies were deposited in mass graves. Opening a mass grave costs the municipality around two million meticais.

In fact, Alice de Abreu made a lightning visit to the site to assess the state of operation of the cold rooms and monitor the city council's work to increase the capacity for preserving bodies.

The municipality is investing eight million meticais of its own funds to increase the conservation capacity of the bodies.

"We will also continue to maintain the cameras so that they can last. At the moment we're in the process of improving the infrastructure, plumbing and energy capacity," he said, adding that the process of importing cameras "for the new space that has been prepared" is underway.

On the other hand, she said that the municipality always tries to sensitize employees and users to avoid getting involved in acts of corruption. She appealed to the relatives of the deceased to choose to use the morgue attached to the Michafutene cemetery, if they are certain that the burial will take place there. (Sources: STV and RM)