Mortuary’s leaking drain pipes pose risk of infection

Notwithstanding that the mortuary at the civic-run Sion hospital is handling more bodies than it can at any given time, it has been functioning with a faulty drainage system since Monday.

Sources said the drain pipes that discharge water mixed with fluids and blood from the mortuary have developed leaks, and this wastewater seeps on the road outside the building.

This means pedestrians and patients and their relatives visiting the hospital are being exposed to harmful bacteria associated with dead bodies, thus making them susceptible to infections, said the source.

A closer inspection revealed that the drainage line running outside the mortuary was jammed. Also, rats were seen using the drain pipes to enter the mortuary room where an autopsy was being conducted.

The centre has been renovated recently, but, except for a new coat of paint and plaster, nothing has changed.

When asked about the drains overflowing with water mixed with blood from corpses kept in the mortuary, a senior official from the Sion Hospital said, “There is a problem with the mortuary's drainage system, and we will try to fix it as soon as possible. However, I am not aware that the remains from the corpses kept in the mortuary, including blood and fluids, are being discharged with the water leaking out of the drain pipes.”