Welfare of mortuary workers on govt agenda – Agyeman-Manu

The Health Minister-designate has disclosed that government has plans to address issues relating to the welfare of mortuary workers.

Kwaku Agyeman-Manu told Parliament’s Appointments Committee today that government was in the process of activating a system to help resolve challenges the workers faced.

“We are in the process of establishing the mortuaries and funerals act. This was passed some years back, we only picked it last year to establish it so that they have an agency that takes care of their welfare and several other things.

“We have been engaging with their consultant and I believe going forward, we have a programme that will help get some of their challenges resolved,” he added.

The nominee was responding to a question from Awutu Senya MP, Gizella Tetteh Agbotui, on the plight of mortuary workers especially relating to their fears about coronavirus infection.

Earlier this month, leadership of Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana (MOWAG), said the number of people who die from coronavirus infection in their homes without knowing the cause is more than the deaths being recorded by the government.

“People have died without knowing it was coronavirus. They are brought to mortuaries for preservation and their fluid will get into contact with other dead bodies.

“Families come for their bodies of persons who didn’t die of coronavirus and bath them for interment. Because the family didn’t know that the dead body they are bathing came into contact with COVID-19 body, they also get coronavirus,” General Secretary of MOWAG Richard Kofi Jordan revealed.