Families in Chirundu have been urged to bury their loved ones within two days due to a breakdown in the mortuary’s standby generator at Mtendere Mission Hospital.

As Zambia faces severe load shedding, bodies can no longer be preserved for more than 48 hours at the facility.

Forcing bereaved families to either make quick burial arrangements or find alternative mortuaries.

In a notice issued yesterday, the hospital’s acting administrator, Benjamin Kazule, informed the public about the generator failure.

Which comes at a particularly difficult time as Zambia grapples with up to 22 hours of power outages each day.

The hospital’s inability to keep bodies for extended periods has placed additional pressure on grieving families, who must now act swiftly to avoid complications.

“This serves to inform the general public that the hospital standby generator has developed a fault,” the notice reads.

“In view of this, bereaved families are hereby urged to collect bodies of their beloved ones two days after depositing them in the hospital mortuary.”

Kazule expressed deep regret for the inconvenience this situation may cause, emphasizing the hospital’s understanding of the hardship it imposes on families already dealing with loss.

The breakdown has heightened the challenges already posed by the ongoing load shedding, further limiting options for families in mourning.

As families in the community scramble to adjust, many are left facing tough decisions, either planning funerals within the tight two-day window or searching for nearby mortuaries with operational facilities.

The hospital management, while offering condolences, has yet to indicate when the generator will be repaired, leaving an uncertain timeline for the restoration of full services.

Families in Chirundu are forced to adapt, knowing that time is not on their side when it comes to saying their final goodbyes.