We are in the process of implementing Mortuary and Funeral Acts- Kwaku Agyeman-Manu

The Health Minister-Designate, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu has disclosed that the Health Ministry is in the process of implementing the Mortuary and Funerals Acts to address the welfare needs of workers in that industry.

Mr Manu told Parliament’s Appointments Committee, Wednesday, that although the Funeral and Mortuary Acts has been already passed, the Ministry is still in the process of implementing it.

“This was passed some years back, we only picked it up last year to try and establish it so that they have an agency that takes care of their welfare and several other things,” he said.

Responding to a question posed by the Member of Parliament for Awutu-Senya West, Hannah Tetteh on plans the Ministry has for Mortuary and Funeral Workers, especially in the advent of Covid-19 he indicated that a series of engagements had been held with the workers to address their concerns.

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

The Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana (MOWAG) recently challenged the statistics on Covid-19 casualties reported to the public by the government.

According to the mortuary attendants, the number of Covid-19 deaths is higher than the statistics the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has been putting out on its website.

In an interview, the General Secretary of MOWAG, Richard Kofi Jordan stated that the government was massaging the actual figures for whatever reasons known to them.

Mr. Jordan explained that “even the number of people who die in their various houses is more than the deaths”.

“We the mortuary attendants work closely with the doctors and we know the number of people who are brought into the morgue as a result of Covid-19,” he added.

He further advised the public to adhere to the laid down Covid-19 protocols to fight the communal spread of the virus.