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Mortuary attendants need to register deaths for planning

Mon, 28 Mar 2005 Source: GNA

Tema, March 28, GNA - The Tema Municipal Director of Birth and Death Registry on Monday called on Medical practitioners to educate mortuary attendants on the need to inspect documents on dead bodies deposited in the mortuaries before releasing them to their relatives for burial. Madam Hannah Twumasi-Ankrah, who made the call in an interview with the issued by the Birth and Death Registry, because it was mandatory under Act 30 of 1965.

She said, as partners in development, health authorities must co-operate with the department to ensure that attendants work in compliance with the rules and regulations guiding their job.

The Director pointed out that ideally, "Medical Certificate of cause of death" is issued by Medical Doctors to relatives of decease for the Birth and Death Registry to record and issue with another form before handing over to the relatives to the attendants "this important demand has consistently being ignored".

Madam Twumasi-Ankrah explained that documentation on the dead is vital to help not only for planning but give an indication of the sex, age group and cause of death occurring in the country.

She said where the cause of death is prevalent it guides the Ministry of Health or the government to take precautionary measures to prevent out break of epidemic.

She regretted that relatives of decease normally rush to the Department for documentation only when they need them for other purposes, else they would never attempt it, adding that, her outfit received five of such cases in 2004.

In 2004, 1,933 deaths were recorded by her outfit as against 1,835 in 2003.

On registration of births, she said it has improved tremendously, probably as a result of free registration of babies up one year, saying that, 8,656 births were recorded against 7,248 the previous year. 28 March 05

Source: GNA