The provisions of the draft law regulating Rwandan health care services have attracted criticism from medical professionals who suggested that it be kept in hospital mortgages for up to 21 days prior to burial.
They cited related costs and limited space among concerns to consider.
The proposed law provides that medical facilities can proceed with burials only if three conditions are met. The 21-day period counted from the date of the initial announcement has expired. The healthcare facility also notified organs responsible for surveying the area at the location.
Also Read: Chuk’s Longest Served Morgue Attendant Respectful to the Dead
During a parliamentary session on Wednesday, April 30, health professionals raised concerns about the feasibility of the proposed time frame as the Congressional Committee on Social Issues asked for feedback on the bill from healthcare agencies.
Dr. Ernest Munimana, executive director of Kibagabaga Hospital in Gasbo district, said the 21-day requirement is unrealistic given the hospital’s limited mortgage capacity.
“Considering the capabilities of our morgue, when our bodies remained unclaimed for a few days, we quickly ran out of space for a new case,” he said.
MP Jeannette Uwababyeyi asked the hospital manager who thought it was a reasonable time frame to fill unclaimed bodies.
Dr. Munimana explained that the current practice is to announce his death three times on the radio. If the body is not billed after 72 hours (3 days), the hospital will be buried. He added that the hospital will face a financial burden for public announcements and burial costs.
“The police may bring in unidentified bodies and must cover all related costs. If the proposed 21-day period is in effect, then there should be a public mortgage managed by the local government in such cases,” he proposed, calling for an amendment to alleviate pressure on health facilities.
Also Read: Concerns as a medical default exceed RWF1 billion
Professor Lisine Tuyisenge, a pediatrician at Kigali University Teaching Hospital (Chuk), reflects similar concerns. She said their hospital will follow the same arrangement, including the publication of three announcements, and that the Social Services Force will then handle the burial.
“Most of the unclaimed bodies belong to long-term patients who have either abandoned them by relatives or lack the means to care for them,” she explained.
Dr. Violette Ayingeneye, director of Kibuye referral hospital in the Karongi area, said the 21-day period is particularly problematic for her hospital due to its proximity to waters like Lake Kivu.
“We often receive decomposition bodies recovered from rivers and Lake Kivu. These bodies quickly deteriorate and damage our refrigerated morgue units. In some cases, they must be buried within a day.”
Speaking in the new era, Eijinay was shown to have only four funeral rooms in her hospital and receive at least five unclaimed bodies each month.
Unclaimed bodies include patients without caregivers because they were unable to pay medical expenses and thus have been abandoned by families, unidentified individuals who have died in different communities brought by authorities such as the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), and victims recovered on the streets and from Lake Kivu by police.
Sign up for the AllAfrica newsletter for free
Get the latest African news
success!
Almost finished…
You need to check your email address.
Follow the instructions in the email you sent to complete the process.
error!
There was a problem processing the submission. Please try again later.
She said the daily cost of a funeral per body at the hospital is RWF 30,400 due to the costs of electricity and maintenance. This is equivalent to 21 days RWF638,400, taking into account the period proposed in the bill.
“It’s economically unsustainable to hold a body for 21 days, as it costs 30,400 RWF per night.” “We are not a budget agency and rely on payments from health insurance systems such as community-based health insurance (CBHI). However, 10% of patients are completely lacking in insurance and cannot pay for their healthcare.”
She urged the government to set up a dedicated agency to handle such cases and to allow hospitals to be spared from the burden.
