Unclaimed Corpses At Benue Teaching Hospital Given Mass Burial

The Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi, has said it evacuated 12 unclaimed corpses from the hospital’s mortuary as part of efforts to maintain hygiene and public health standards.

BSUTH said Benue State Environmental Sanitation Agency BENSESA) officials responsible for the evacuation of 12 unclaimed bodies, subsequently carried out the mass burial in accordance with relevant public health regulations.

Speaking during the exercise, the chief medical director, Dr Stephen Terungwa Hwande explained that the evacuation was necessary to maintain and improve hygiene standards, noting that decomposed bodies, if left uncleared, could breed pathogens and viruses and constitute a nuisance and potential health risk.

He disclosed that BSUTH had modernised its mortuary through the acquisition of an electric embalming machine and the reintroduction of cold rooms to enhance effective preservation of corpses and improve mortuary services.In a statement issued by the BSUTH’s Information Officer II Public Relations and Protocol Department, Nongo Gabriel said Hwande announced the implementation of the new COMESS/CONHESS salary structure, adding that Radiology staff training would commence on September 1, 2026.

Hwande said the training was designed to equip Radiology personnel with the requisite skills to operate the newly acquired and installed radiology equipment, further strengthening the hospital’s diagnostic capacity and service delivery.

Earlier, the Hospital Environmental Officer, Erdoo Zendesha, and Head of the Mortuary Unit, John Orban, said the exercise aimed to prevent health hazards to morticians and the public, while appreciating the state government and hospital management for routinely undertaking such exercises.