Remains of 150 children at Matara Hospital morgue

Remains and corpses of 150 children that have not been taken away by families for final rites, have been piling up at the Matara Hospital morgue for around a year, the 'Lankadeepa' newspaper reports. 

It is said that the cold room used to store these remains cannot be used to store any other corpses as well. Also, the storage facility is not cooling as it should be, resulting in an overwhelming stench, reports add.

 The 'Lankadeepa 'further reports :

 Out of the hospital's 06 storage facilities, only two are in proper working order while the remaining four are in dire need of repairs, a hospital spokesman said.However, this situation has arisen due to the fact that funerals of these corpses had not been conducted as it should, for around a year. They also say that the air outlet fan of the morgue's cooling system is directed towards the maternity ward complex, which also poses a threat to expectant mothers at the ward.

When inquired about this from the Director of the Matara General Hospital, Dr. Malkanthi Mediwaka, she said that she had not been informed of this and that immediate action would be taken to look into the matter to do the needful.