The body of eight-month-old Emmanuel Charindapanze went missing at Chitungwiza Central Hospital after his mother, Shamiso Nyause, had taken him there for treatment.
When Shamiso and her husband, Givemore Charindapanze, came to collect their child’s body for burial, they couldn’t find it.
The hospital’s spokesperson, Audrey Tasanarwo, said an investigation is now underway to find out how the body went missing.
This comes after the arrest of a 32-year-old mortuary worker, Munashe Ganyiwa, in connection with the disappearance. Said Tasanarwo in a statement:
The circumstances leading to the missing body are not known, however, the hospital has instituted a board of inquiry to find out the circumstances which led to the missing body of the deceased baby.
We want to assure the public that we take all incidents seriously and are cooperating with the police investigation. We will provide updates as more information becomes available.
We appeal for accurate reporting and respect for the bereaved family’s privacy during this difficult time.
Tasanarwo also explained the procedures followed when a patient dies at Chitungwiza Central Hospital. She said:
When a patient dies in the ward, the nurse informs the doctor, who certifies the death and completes the necessary documentation.
In this case, the deceased baby was, indeed, certified dead by the doctor.
After that, the nurse then performs the last office procedure, which includes preparing documentation and the body for transfer to the mortuary.
When that process is done, the mortuary attendant is called to then transport the body to the mortuary for safekeeping, pending burial.
Please take note of this change of responsibility over the dead body at this stage, when the mortuary staff takes over from the clinical staff.
Tasanarwo further clarified that the body is transferred to the mortuary by the mortuary attendant and not by the nurse. She said:
The mortuary attendant was called to then transport the body to the mortuary for safekeeping, pending burial.
The body was transferred to the mortuary by the mortuary attendant and not by the nurse as widely reported.
Munashe is not a nurse but a mortuary attendant. When the baby died on Saturday, Munashe was not on duty. She came on duty on Monday.
On the day in question, Munashe was assigned to prepare and send the babies for incineration.
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