The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi has taken alternative measures to deal with the negative impacts of the on-going strike action by the Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana (MOWAG), on the effective running of the Hospital.
The Public Relations Officer, Kwame Frimpong, noted that, the facility as part of the measures would not accept external dead bodies into its mortuaries, from May 29, which marks the beginning of the strike.
“Management had also put in place special arrangements to enable bereaved families whose dead bodies were due for removal, to take them away for burial.
In-patients, who died in the course of the strike action, would also be allowed to be preserved and kept at the mortuaries”, he added.
A visit to the referral facility revealed that members of the MOWAG had hoisted red flags on walls of all the mortuaries.
The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Association, Ebenezer Asrifi, told the GNA that, the strike action would continue until government responded positively to their grievances.
He said aside poor salaries, mortuary workers were working under a deplorable environment.
Mr Asrifi said some health facilities do not have basic working tools such as hand gloves, boots, aprons among others for mortuary men, thereby exposing them to serious health hazards.
He said the strike was taking place in all government health facilities across the country and called on the government to take immediate steps to address their concerns.
