For at least five years, families on Kadavu have been burying their loved ones on the same day they die because the island’s mortuary has not been closed.
Tavuki district representative Viliame Laugasau confirmed the issue after a social media post raised fresh concerns about the difficulties faced by families on the island in handling deceased relatives.
Mr Laugasau said residents had been living with the problem for years but assured that the Government and the vanua were working together to open a fully functional mortuary soon.
“Right now, as we speak, renovation works at the Vunisea Hospital are almost completed,” he said.
“The only thing that is left is the mortuary. The contractors and company responsible for that are working to complete that part before we do the official opening.”
Social media user David Vasu Vuniwai, who hails from Kadavu, claimed online that his cousin’s baby was kept in an “esky” (ice cooler) on the island while awaiting a post-mortem examination.
He said a church pastor’s body had to be transported by boat to Suva and it began leaking during the journey.
Mr Vuniwai further shared that his own mother, who died on a Sunday evening, had to be buried the next morning because there was no functioning mortuary on the island.
Comments from other residents on the post also raised similar concerns, with many saying families were unable to properly farewell their relatives because burials had to take place immediately or soon after death.
“Our people have been without a mortuary for a long time. That is the practice right now,” Mr Laugasau said.
“In Tevita’s cousin’s case, the baby could have been kept in the esky because a post-mortem would have been done on the child.
“That is the only reason a body would be kept.”
Mr Laugasau said that in cases where a post-mortem was required, families waited for police and a doctor before funeral arrangements were carried out.
He said that, apart from post-mortem cases, funerals were held as soon as a person passed away.
“It is a sad reality we have been living with.”
Vunisea Hospital is the only major hospital on Kadavu, serving 75 villages, eight nursing centres and one other health centre that looked after three districts.
Tavuki district, which has 11 villages, also relies on Vunisea Hospital.
Efforts to get an official statement from the Ministry of Health yesterday proved futile. Its media section said an official response on the matter would be issued when practicable.
