The University of Namibia (UNAM) says there is a noticeable rise in interest from Namibians who opt to donate their bodies to the institution's school of medicine.

According to UNAM spokesperson Simon Namesho, the number of people signing up to donate their bodies has increased sharply since February.

“Between February and May alone, four more Namibians officially pledged to donate their bodies,” Namesho said. 

The total number of bodies donated since the programme started in 2010 now stands at 15.

Namesho added that more than 25 people have also contacted UNAM’s Division of Anatomy since February to ask for donor forms or to get more information about how body donation works.

“This is quite a big jump,” Namesho explained. “Just those four new pledges from the past few months already make up more than a quarter of all pledges we’ve received in 15 years. It shows that people are becoming more open to the idea and want to help improve medical training in Namibia.”

Namesho said local body donations are important because they remove the need for expensive and complicated procedures to bring cadavers from outside the country.