We make dead bodies stand in mortuaries due to lack of space – Mortuary man

Richard Kofi Jordan, General Secretary of Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana, has said due to congestion in the various mortuaries across the country, dead bodies are made to stand in order to create space for more bodies.

He described the conditions of the mortuaries in Ghana as terrible, a situation that must be addressed immediately by authority.

Apart from the congestion, he told Alfred Ocansey on the Sunrise show on 3FM Friday May 22 that, mortuary workers also lack enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect themselves from contagious diseases especially in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

He said at the moment two mortuary attendants are given one wellington boot to wear, a situation that puts them at high risk of being infected with diseases.

“We make dead bodies stand because of lack of space,” he said.

“Even before the COVID-19 we were facing a lot of challenges, we didn’t have enough PPE. As we speak two workers are given one wellington boot to wear, that is a serious situation we are faced with,” he added.

He however stated that some hospitals have provided PPE to their mortuaries workers to enable them work effectively, “but most hospitals have not done so.”