Okypy explains temporary body storage during Paphos hospital morgue repairs

Paphos, Cyprus. A refrigerator beside the morgue at Paphos general hospital will temporarily hold bodies during repairs to its alarm system, state health services Okypy said on Tuesday. Responding to social media posts, spokesman Charalambos Charilaou said the unit met specifications and the entire process would last four days.

Alarm repairs and storage arrangements

Charilaou said work on the mortuary chamber’s alarm system required the temporary transfer of bodies. He explained that the repairs would enable early warnings if a fault occurred.

According to the spokesman, the process involved transferring the bodies, carrying out disinfection, fixing the alarm and placing the bodies back in the mortuary cabinets. He said all necessary precautions were being taken to keep them safely stored throughout the work.

Earlier closure and alternative facilities

A malfunction in the morgue’s refrigerated cabinets led to its closure in May. At the time, it was expected to resume operations in early June following completion of repairs.

Okypy said bodies held there in May had been transferred to appropriate facilities. Families of those who died subsequently were being advised to arrange storage through funeral homes. Where families could not make those arrangements, Paphos general hospital would find alternative facilities.

Okypy also said that conducting post-mortem examinations at one reference centre, such as the morgue at Nicosia general hospital, did not impede any procedure or create a burden. It added that best practices had been considered.