Serious concerns were raised on Thursday over conditions at the morgue of Paphos general hospital after acting mayor Angelos Onisiforou said refrigeration units used for the preservation of bodies have been out of operation for several days.

In a written statement, Onisiforou said the malfunction has created significant difficulties for families and funeral homes, while also disrupting the timely handling of burials.

He described conditions at the facility as offensive to “human dignity” and warned of potential public health concerns due to odours from decomposition.

Furthermore, Onisiforou also lambasted the continued absence of a district pathologist in the Paphos district, thus requiring bodies to be transported to Nicosia for autopsies before being returned to Paphos for burial procedures.

He said the process places an additional psychological burden on grieving families and leads to delays and increased financial costs due to repeated transfers and operational expenses.

“This process is unacceptable,” he stressed, adding that a pathological centre had in fact previously operated in Paphos and functioned “more efficiently and with greater respect for citizens”.

The mayor referred to recent complaints concerning what he described as “under functioning facilities, maintenance failures and unsuitable storage conditions for bodies.”

Onisiforou demanded authorities to end the transfer of bodies between cities for postmortem procedures, arguing that Paphos should not continue to be treated as “a second-class area”.

“Respect for humans does not stop at death,” he concluded.