The Mortuaries and Funeral Facilities Agency (MoFFA) has shut down some public and private morgue facilities in the Ashanti Region for failing to meet required standards.

The affected facilities are in the Asante Mampong, Effiduase and Juaben municipal areas.

Authorities say some morgue facilities are operating under conditions that do not meet the required standards for preserving human remains.

A compliance team led by the Acting Director of the Mortuaries and Funeral Facilities Agency, Mrs. Mavis Twumwaa Appiah, inspected several facilities in the region, leading to the closure of some of them.

“Some of the basic challenges we found were unkempt tools and equipment. In some facilities, bodies were lying on the floor, and there were no proper areas for workers to wash their hands after work,” she said.

The Agency also found that some facilities had not been licensed in accordance with the Health Institutions and Facilities Act, 2011, Act 829.

“Some of the facilities have not been licensed according to Act 829 and the regulations, so we have had to close them down until they meet the required standards.”

MoFFA says the enforcement exercise is aimed at protecting public health and preventing possible disease outbreaks in communities where the facilities operate.

“The main reason for shutting down these facilities is to prevent any outbreak in the community and in the houses around the morgues.”

According to the Acting Director, the affected facilities were given notice about the requirements about two years ago but failed to comply.

“A letter was issued about two years ago to the morgue facilities in the Ashanti Region to provide the requirements they needed to meet our standards, but unfortunately, some of them failed to do so,” she stated.