La Digue to get own mortuary |12 February 2015

La Digue will soon have its own facilities to store dead bodies and carry out autopsies now that construction work has started on the Logan Hospital Mortuary.

During a visit to the site near the Logan Hospital on Saturday, workers were seen busy levelling the ground in preparation to lay the foundation of the new building.

If all goes according to plan, the new facility is expected to be ready around the middle of the year.

Also on site was the chairperson of the La Digue Trust Fund Michel Marie and project manager Sylvestre Fanchette who gave details of the different facilities of the mortuary.

The building alone which is costing some R1.2 million is being funded through the La Digue Trust Fund and other private contributions.

The mortuary will have two chillers with a capacity to take four bodies each.

“One of the chillers, the first of its type here, will be able to accommodate bodies already placed in coffins as well,” Mr Marie explained.

“The project which is long overdue has long been planned but has been subjected to a lot of delays particularly while a suitable location was found for its construction, but it will no doubt bring a lot of relief to the Diguois,” Mr Marie pointed out.

The building which has a very nice Creole architecture will also boast an autopsy table, office and toilet facilities. It has an alleyway which will link it to the Logan Hospital which will also be rebuilt in the future.

Mr Fanchette, a Diguois, said it has been a long time since the project has been on hold and he is very happy that it will finally be realised.

Sybille Bouchereau, duty nurse on Saturday, pointed out that once completed the mortuary will bring a lot of relief especially for ordinary families on La Digue who have to incur all the costs of transporting the body of a family member who die at home to the mortuary on Praslin.

Ms Bouchereau noted that the Ministry of Health will also benefit because in the case where a person passes away at the hospital it has to bear all the costs.

“It will indeed be a great relief for us Diguois especially if a relative passes away at night,” Ms Bouchereau explained.