Bafoussam Regional Hospital announces burial of 42 unclaimed bodies.

The move, authorities said, was necessary to safeguard public health and restore dignity to the deceased. The announcement was made by the hospital’s Director, Dr Njip Jean Marie, during an interview granted to the Douala-based television channel, Equinoxe TV.

According to hospital official, the bodies had been in the mortuary for extended periods without being identified or claimed by relatives. Their prolonged stay had stated to pose serious health and environmental risks. 

“The bodies were already polluting the environment and causing congestion at the mortuary,” Dr Njip said.

He went further to note that “we had reached a point where a solution was urgently needed”. 

The burial exercise, the Director said, was carried out in collaboration with local authorities and it sought to address not only logistical challenges, but also concerns over dignity for the deceased. 

The hospital management insisted that storing unclaimed bodies indefinitely is neither sustainable nor respectful, especially in a facility that receives high numbers of cases weekly.

Beyond the sanitary reasons, Dr Njip also highlighted cultural and spiritual considerations that influenced the decision. He explained that leaving the bodies unburied for too long is believed by some communities to disturb the spirits of the deceased, potentially bringing misfortune. 

“Burying them is also a way of giving them rest,” he said, adding that unresolved spirits could be a source of curses or negative energy for the city of Bafoussam. 

Public health experts argue that better coordination between hospitals, municipal authorities and communities is needed to reduce the frequency of such incidents.

To Bafoussam residents, the move by the hospital Director was necessary as there are so many issues surrounding identity verification, family tracing, coupled with the socioeconomic conditions that often lead to abandoned corpses in hospitals across the country. 

Authorities have urged families to refrain from keeping the remains of their beloved ones in the mortuary for too long as the bills could accumulate, forcing them to abandon the bodies at the mortuary.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3650 of Tuesday December 09, 2025