Strengthen security at morgues to curb missing body parts – Health Directorate to facilities

The Ashanti Regional Directorate of the Health Services has called on the management of all facilities in the region to strengthen security measures at the mortuaries to curtail the menace of alleged tampering of bodies deposited at the mortuary.

“All facility heads are urged to ensure security at the mortuary and entire facility premises to prevent the occurrence of such incidents in the facilities.”

This was contained in a letter forwarded to all Heads of facilities in the region signed by Dr. Emmanuel Tinkorang, Reginal Director of Health Services, Ashanti Region.

The Ghana Health Service has issued an alert in the wake of the incidents of missing body parts at morgues in the country.

It would be recalled that there have been at least two reports from families of corpses at the Saint Anthony’s Hospital mortuary, Dzodze, in the Ketu North Municipality who complained of the missing body parts of their dead relatives, raising suspicions of tampering with bodies at the morgue.

Personnel at Dzodze District Police Command picked up about ten suspects in connection with the missing human parts at the morgue to help with investigations.

But even before the outcome of the police investigations, the Hospital Management and the Keta-Akatsi Catholic Diocesan Health Directorate had decided to introduce periods within which to admit new bodies believing that time of admission of the bodies could be responsible for the tampering.