Funeral parlours given ultimatum

LINDA SOKO TEMBO writes

LUSAKA City Council (LCC) has given a seven days ultimatum to funeral parlours operating at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) to brand their hearses or be closed down.
Council public relations manager, George Sichimba, told the Sun in a statement that the funeral parlour operators were required to brand their hearses in order to stop them from using the vehicles for other purposes.
Mr Sichimba said a meeting was held between the Public health department and the operators where the matter was discussed and agreed.
He said the funeral parlours operators were also given a 14 days period to have their businesses registered and to obtain health permits for their premises, in line with the Public Health Act Cap 295 of the Laws of Zambia.
“Registration of funeral parlours will make it easier for the local authority to regulate the business. The measures have been taken pursuant to the Council resolution made during the ninth Ordinary Council Meeting held on April 2, 2019,” he said.
Mr Sichimba said, “The council resolved that funeral services business in the city should be regulated by Council.”
He said the resolution was as result of the tour of selected funeral parlours at the UTH by the Council’s Health Services Committee recently, which revealed that most people engaged in this kind of business were not registered and had no business permits from LCC.