Mandaue buys mortuary freezer for COVID fatalities

CEBU, Philippines —  To address the needs of the residents for a place to store the bodies of their deceased loved ones while waiting for cremation, the Mandaue City government bought its own mortuary freezer.

The city government said the 40-body capacity mortuary freezer van will cater to city residents, especially indigents, who died from COVID-19 but could not be cremated immediately because crematoriums are already overwhelmed.

The use of the mortuary freezer will be free of charge, on top of the free cremation services that the city offers for its indigent residents who will die of COVID-19 complications.

Storage services in private hospitals can cost P1,000 to P5,000 per day depending on the hospital.

Mandaue City Mayor Jonas C. Cortes together with the representatives from the Department of Health inspected the mortuary freezer van yesterday. The P1.8-million equipment will be placed at the Mandaue City Hospital within the week.

Cortes said the city government decided to buy its own mortuary freezer to help lessen the anguish and stress of Mandaue City residents in looking for places to store the bodies of their dearly departed when they should be mourning for their dead.

 “Better to be prepared than be caught off guard,” said Atty. John Eddu Ibañez, the mayor’s chief of staff and head of the city’s public information office.

As of Sunday, Mandaue City has already recorded a total of 1,036 COVID-19 cases with 25 deaths and 311 recoveries. At present, the city has 700 active cases.  FPL (FREEMAN)