Hospital supports mortuary attendant who seized corpse during burial over N2800 debt (photos)

The hospital has come under the spotlight in recent weeks after some of its mortuary officials stormed the burial of a man and ceased his corpse.


Family members and sympathizers of a deceased man had gathered at the Tema Community 9 cemetery where the said corpse was supposed to be buried.

However, the burial ceremony turned chaos after the mortuary attendants seized the corpse, insisting they would not allow the body to be buried unless they were paid an amount of GHc 40 (N2,800) which they were owed.

Eyewitnesses claim the family of the deceased refused to pay the mortuary attendants after hiring their services to prepare the said corpse for burial.

According to reports, the family later sneaked in and took the body on the blind side of the mortuary men.

Their action is believed to have angered the mortuary men, who in turn threatened not to allow the corpse to be buried unless they were paid. It took the timely intervention of some sympathizers, who paid the said debt, before the mortuary attendants allowed the corpse to be buried.

However, speaking on the awkward issue, Medical Director of the Tema General Hospital, Dr. Adusei Poku, said the mortuary attendants were only discharging their duties.

Poku said: “I have spoken to the mortuary man; he is a disciplined person; it was a private job which has nothing to do with the hospital.”

He added that the family of the deceased should have negotiated with the mortuary attendants, rather than try sneaking the corpse out on their blind side.

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