According to several testimonies, there is an increase in the number of deaths in Bamako, the Malian capital.
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People aged over 60 with chronic illnesses for the most part. In just four days, from April 1 to 4, the Gabriel-Touré hospital received 102 people who died on arrival at the establishment. For comparison, for the entire month of April 2023, there were 130 deaths. The country breaks world heat records for the month of April: in Kayes, in the far west of the country, it was 48.5 degrees on Thursday April 4.
Owner of a funeral home, Ladji Dibatéré is, with his teams, on the front line observing this phenomenon. “ We have observed an increase in deaths and the morgues are much fuller, he testifies. It sometimes happens to us that we go around several morgues and cannot put our deceased there and therefore have to keep them at home and carry out the burial at 8 a.m. the next morning.. Unfortunately, power cuts don’t help. There are large generators which are often broken down. »
In Bamako, most morgues do not have generators to preserve the bodies of the deceased in the event of a power outage. When his uncle died, Mohamed* had to tour health facilities to find a place, while his loved ones organized the funeral.
“ In the Wireless district, there was a place but the cold system did not work. It was a friend who negotiated a space for us in a mosque where they have a well-air-conditioned room, that’s where we kept [le corps]. Even with that, it’s so hot that in the morning, when we went to pick up the body, decomposition had already started… »
Hospitals are also lacking electricity
Funeral rite professional Ladji Dibatéré continues: “ There are actually hospitals in which, when I enter, I have to have both hands on my nose. I have the impression that people have not realized the importance of having a dignified morgue, that we can preserve our deceased, respect them, that they can rest in peace and dignity. We cannot leave the deceased “to rot” like that. »
A traumatic situation for families which is likely to last, regrets Doctor Boubacar Niaré, deputy secretary general of the doctors’ union, who also deplores a lack of staff to deal with the influx of deaths.
“ We have fears because first of all, it is not obvious that the electricity problem will be resolved immediately. Then, when we talk about recruitment, will the State have the means to immediately improve health structures to receive these cases which lead to complicated situations? »
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The hospital therefore also suffers from the lack of electricity. Emergency rooms of course, as well as maternity and surgical services need a constant supply to avoid loss of life. Which is not the case today in most hospitals in Mali.