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A body remained in refrigerated storage at Paphos General Hospital for 1,040 days, almost three years, as serious problems at the hospital morgue went unresolved, according to a new Audit Service report.
The case was the most extreme example uncovered during the inspection. The report found that bodies were routinely kept for periods far beyond the recommended limit of around 30 days.
Auditor General Andreas Papakonstantinou said the findings could not be dismissed as a single refrigeration fault or technical mishap. Instead, they revealed long-running problems involving management, supervision, staffing, and maintenance, along with confusion over who was responsible for what.
Warnings had been raised years earlier. Complaints dating back to 2023 referred to smells from decomposing bodies, overcrowded refrigeration facilities, and a lack of basic cleaning. According to the Audit Service, no effective corrective action followed.
For families, the findings strike at something deeply personal: the expectation that a loved one will be treated with dignity after death.
Papakonstantinou said the way the state cares for the dead reflects its respect for human dignity. That responsibility, he stressed, does not end when a person dies, particularly when a body has been placed in the care of a public hospital.
The issue also extends beyond dignity and respect. Poor conditions inside a morgue can affect hygiene, the safety of employees working there, and, more broadly, public health.
The findings are especially troubling for Paphos residents because problems at the morgue have already disrupted services this year. In May, faulty refrigeration units forced the facility to close temporarily, with bodies moved elsewhere and new cases redirected to private funeral homes or alternative facilities.
At the time, concerns were also raised about the absence of a medical examiner in Paphos, which meant bodies had to be transported to Nicosia for post-mortem examinations before being returned to their families.
The new audit indicates that the problems ran much deeper than one breakdown. What emerges is a public facility where repeated warnings were apparently allowed to pile up alongside the bodies themselves.
The Audit Service is now placing responsibility on the authorities to clarify who oversees the morgue, ensure proper staffing and maintenance, and establish procedures that prevent bodies from remaining in storage indefinitely.
For the families involved, however, any reforms will come far too late. The basic assurance that their relatives were being treated with care and respect had already been broken.
