Mortuary services at Dokolo HC IV suspended

17 February 2026, 10:20 pm

By Winnie Auma

Dokolo District authorities have temporarily closed Dokolo Health Centre IV mortuary to allow for its expansion.

The Dokolo Resident District Commissioner, Babra Akech, said the closure is intended to extend the mortuary building to create additional space for a fridge that was recently delivered to the facility.

She explained that the fridge occupied much of the available space, making it difficult for other services to be carried out effectively.

Akech added that district leaders recently held a meeting and agreed to suspend mortuary services temporarily for one month, after which operations will resume.

Meanwhile, Musafiri Suwed, the Dokolo District spokesperson, said that during the closure, residents will access mortuary services in neighbouring districts such as Lira and Kaberamaido while the facility undergoes rehabilitation to ensure smooth and efficient service delivery.

According to the In-Charge of Dokolo Health Centre IV, Dr Odur Emma, the expansion will provide an office for the mortuary attendant, enhancing his ability to deliver essential services.

Dr Odur said the expansion will also include a dedicated room for conducting postmortem examinations, which were previously carried out in a limited space, making procedures difficult to perform efficiently.

He added that there will be an additional room for dressing and placing bodies into coffins. He further noted that water will be extended to the mortuary and an exit road will be constructed to ensure that bodies being removed do not interfere with normal hospital operations or ambulance services.

Some members of the community welcomed the development, saying it will enable them to receive improved services at the facility.

However, others expressed concern that they will incur additional costs while seeking mortuary services in other districts, noting that they had become accustomed to using the Dokolo facility.