On Saturday, December 6, 2025, the Daily Graphic published a news article titled “Substandard Mortuaries Temporarily Closed”, which highlighted the deplorable conditions prevailing in some mortuaries in the Eastern Region.
The report revealed that the Mortuary and Funeral Facilities Agency (MoFFA) had shut down several facilities for failing to meet basic environmental and safety standards, or for operating without licences, following a two-day enforcement exercise.
Established about 14 years ago under the Health Institutions and Facilities Act, 2011 (Act 829), MoFFA is mandated to license, regulate and monitor all establishments involved in the storage, transportation and disposal of human remains.
During its enforcement exercises, the agency assesses critical factors such as waste disposal systems, water and power supply, sanitation, availability of personal protective equipment (PPEs), and the arrangement and storage of bodies.
Sadly, the recent closures indicate that many mortuaries continue to operate under unacceptable conditions, despite years of regulation.
This disturbing reality recalls events from March 2019, when the Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana (MOWAG) embarked on a nationwide strike to protest poor working conditions and low salaries.
In an interview at the time, the then General Secretary of MOWAG, Richard Jordan, expressed deep disappointment at what he described as the apparent disregard by health authorities for the death care industry.
He lamented that mortuary attendants worked under extremely difficult and unsafe conditions. In some facilities, he noted, bodies were packed “like momone (salted fermented fish),” making it difficult for workers to move without stepping on corpses.
Malfunctioning freezing systems exposed workers to fluids from decomposing bodies, increasing the risk of infection.
Mr Jordan also highlighted the daily exposure of mortuary workers to formalin, a preservative classified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as having probable carcinogenic properties.
This occupational hazard, coupled with social stigma attached to mortuary work, painted a grim picture of an industry long neglected.
That 2019 agitation revealed a dire situation that, judging by MoFFA’s recent findings, appears to persist.
The agency reported overcrowded mortuaries, disturbing scenes of mangled bodies poorly arranged, strong unpleasant odours, blood stains, and serum on floors—conditions it rightly described as unacceptable and hazardous.
Life is about effort, sacrifice, and the pursuit of progress.
With these come longevity.
Yet, at the end of it all, death is inevitable. Individually and collectively, we must therefore reflect on how we treat the dead.
What honour is there in striving for national development, only to subject our citizens to indignity at death through dysfunctional mortuary systems?
The Daily Graphic is compelled to recall the words of British statesman William Ewart Gladstone, who observed: “Show me the manner in which a nation or community cares for its dead, and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender mercies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land, and their loyalty to high ideals.”
It is deeply ironic that in a country where the dead are revered and elaborate funeral rites are observed, our mortuaries and graveyards are left in such deplorable states.
Does this mean we hypocritically celebrate the dead with expensive coffins and lavish funerals, while neglecting the dignity of their remains before burial?
Indeed, the poor state of our mortuaries reflects broader societal attitudes.
Death makes all equal, and if we fail to respect human dignity at its most vulnerable moment, we risk becoming insensitive to all other matters essential to national growth and development.
It matters little if coffins cost GH¢50,000 or funerals exceed GH¢100,000, if the deceased are first subjected to indignity in overcrowded, unsafe mortuaries.
The Daily Graphic therefore calls on MoFFA, the Ministry of Health, and the government to urgently address this national shame.
MoFFA must extend its monitoring and enforcement nationwide to ensure that every Ghanaian, regardless of status, is treated with dignity in death.
Our collective conscience demands nothing less.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh
