The Volta Regional Environmental Health Officer Mrs. Sybil Boison has underlined the need to properly disinfect vehicles used for conveying dead bodies.

She said this was necessary because moving such bodies carried a high risk of spreading contagious diseases.

The hospitals and mortuary operators must, therefore, consider working with drivers to take preventive measures, particularly, with respect to the non-designated vehicles.

Mrs. Boison made the call when she toured morgues in the Ho Municipality, to assess the implementation of precautionary measures to contain and halt the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Staff of the facilities were asked to help maintain the highest standards of practice, towards shielding visitors from potential risks of exposure.     

She examined personal protection equipment, wash stations, and waste disposal points, and told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that “vivid inspections” would be undertaken to ensure strict compliance.

Mr. Anthony Amadotor, National Vice Chairman of the Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana, who heads the Ho Teaching Hospital morgue, cautioned against using passenger vehicles to carry dead bodies.

He pledged stronger collaboration towards efforts that seeks to protect public health.

He said the body count in the facility had fallen since the outbreak of the virus, and added that an old cabinet was being restored for storage of corpses of those who died of Covid-19.

Other mortuaries in the Municipality are seeing a decline in bodies sent for hygienic storage until burial.

Meanwhile, the main wing of the Ho Municipal Hospital morgue has been closed down for rehabilitation.