Tema General Hospital refutes claims about drying of corpses
The management of the Tema General Hospital has refuted claims that the hospital authorities have resorted to the drying of corpses in the sun.
Advertisement
It said it was also untrue that the freezers at the mortuary had broken down, resulting in the authorities resorting to the drying of corpses to prevent them from getting decomposed.
In an interview yesterday, the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr (Mrs) Charity Sarpong, said the 59-year-old mortuary had been expanded to accommodate 150 bodies from its original capacity of 50 to serve the growing population of the metropolis.
“It is not true; it is an unfounded allegation which is mischievous and I don’t know where it came from,” she said.
She said the freezing systems had been contracted to a private company which regularly serviced the equipment.
During a visit to the mortuary, it was seen that some of the bodies were undergoing treatment and were, therefore, lying on platforms in the mortuary, while some compartments had been reserved for those bodies undergoing the formalin process.
Dr Sarpong, who conducted the Daily Graphic round the mortuary, assured the public of constant service without hindrance.
She, however, appealed to the Tema Metropolitan Assembly to expedite action on the construction of a new morgue which would be able to take three times the number of bodies deposited at the existing morgue.
Other Trending Stories
She said the new one would have offices, a conference hall for lectures, offices for pathologists who would also have a department for autopsy.
Dr Sarpong said on completion the new mortuary would be one of the best in the country.
At the mortuary, the Manager in charge, Mr Robert Amenyefia, explained that the system used for preserving bodies was the same everywhere, saying, “It is not possible that bodies can be dried for preservation.”
He assured the public of good services, saying, “Our mortuary is one of the best in the country, without any problem of decomposing bodies.”