By Issah Olegor
The Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana (MOWAG) has sounded the alarm over what they describe as a disturbing surge in the number of bodies being brought to mortuaries nationwide — a trend they link directly to the ongoing strike by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA).
According to the General Secretary of MOWAG, Richard Kofi Jordan, several mortuary facilities across the country are experiencing an unusual and consistent rise in the daily intake of corpses, especially since nurses and midwives withdrew their services in protest over delayed implementation of their new conditions of service.
“We are seeing a sharp rise in deaths, and it is not coincidental. The absence of nurses and midwives is having a devastating effect,” Jordan told Citi News on Tuesday.
“Where a facility would normally receive about 10 bodies a day, we are now seeing between 20 and 25. This is double the usual numbers, and it’s alarming.”
Strain on Mortuary Services
Mortuary workers, who often operate behind the scenes in Ghana’s overstretched health system, say they are now feeling the pressure of a crisis that’s largely gone unnoticed in public discourse.
MOWAG says the workload has increased dramatically over the past week, with many morgues now approaching full capacity.
In some facilities, staff are reportedly working longer hours, while refrigeration units are stretched to their limits.
“If this continues, we may soon run out of space. Our system was not designed to handle such a surge,” Jordan warned.
The association believes the rising number of deaths may be linked to delayed access to basic care, unmonitored patients at home, and the collapse of outpatient services — all of which have been severely affected by the nurses’ industrial action.
