A funeral director has raised serious allegations about conditions at morgues, procedures for collecting and transferring bodies, and the operation of funeral homes, describing delays, disorder and alleged irregularities.
Speaking on Sigma TV’s Mesimeri kai Kati, Vana Kekkouri made the claims following the case involving a British man’s body that went missing from the Nicosia General Hospital morgue.
“This is a daily occurrence for us. There is so much chaos in hospitals that we cannot do our jobs,” she said.
Kekkouri alleged that the body had been transferred from Paphos General Hospital to Nicosia General Hospital by a private funeral director who wore a police vest and claimed to be working with the police, allowing him access to facilities.
She also questioned whether the funeral home in question was properly licensed and raised concerns about the way bodies were being transported. Her claims have not been independently verified.
Questions over funeral home licensing
Kekkouri questioned the qualifications and authorisation of people carrying out embalming, saying some presented documents claiming they had completed 30 hours of training.
“They give you papers saying they have done 30 hours of embalming training, and I ask them to show me the signature. Where was the embalming done, and who gave them the licence?” she said.
She also made allegations against the private funeral director, claiming there had been a complaint that bodies had been transported without organs. She further alleged that the individual had obtained planning permission despite concerns about the premises and that relatives were being charged for transporting bodies.
These allegations were made by Kekkouri during the television interview and have not been independently established.
Calls for scrutiny of procedures
Asked whether incidents of this kind occurred frequently, Kekkouri said they did, reiterating her claims of unlawful practices and problematic procedures.
Her comments have brought renewed attention to the handling of bodies in Cyprus following the case of the British man whose body was found in the Nicosia General Hospital morgue after it had reportedly been stored under another name.
The allegations raise questions about the oversight of funeral homes, the licensing of personnel and the procedures governing the transfer and identification of bodies.
Also read: Missing body found at Nicosia morgue under wrong name
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