The Ada East Environmental Health Department, in collaboration with the Ada East District Hospital, has carried out a mass burial exercise for eight unidentified bodies as part of its efforts to sanitise the community and protect public health.
Mr Joshua Manab, the District Environmental Health Officer, said the exercise became necessary following the prolonged stay of some bodies in the hospital mortuary, with some of the cases dating back over 15 years, cautioning that such delays created serious environmental and health risks.
Mr Manab explained that unidentified bodies are bodies that no relatives have come forward to claim or complete the required documentations.
He said these often included accident victims and natural deaths at the hospital.
“Before bodies are classified as unidentified, the police undertake investigations, announcements, and publications to trace families. If unsuccessful, the bodies are cleared through mass burial,” he added.
During the mass burial exercise, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) observed that the state of the eight bodies was so bad that it was impossible to distinguish males from females.
He lamented the government’s inability to provide financial support for mass burial exercises, stressing that the burden of burying unclaimed bodies is often left on the department with little or no logistics.
Mr Manab also raised concerns about inadequate staffing in the district, stating that out of 10 environmental health officers in Ada East, only three are field officers, while the remaining seven are engaged as office staff.
This, he said, undermined fieldwork efficiency, yet the government continued to complain about unsatisfactory performance.
“There are many trained environmental health graduates who have completed school for years without employment, and yet the service continues to face staff shortages,” Mr Manab stated.
He highlighted challenges such as lack of transport for moving bodies, absence of basic supplies like washing chemicals, and inadequate support to properly sanitise vehicles such as ambulances after use.
He added that conditions at the district hospital mortuary, including unpleasant odours and poorly preserved bodies, were a result of these systemic challenges.
Mr Manab called for urgent intervention by the government to provide adequate financial and logistical support, as well as recruitment of more environmental health officers, to ensure effective sanitation and mortuary management in the district.
GNA
