No mortuary at Kintampo hospital, Residents called for one
Abdul Salam Sule

Accra, Feb 19, Ghanadot - Painstaking investigations conducted by Ghanadot has revealed that the Kintampo Government Hospital in the Brong Ahafo Region has for the past two years existed without a fridge at the mortuary department.

The situation came to light when on Friday 13th February 2009, fatal accident occured on the Kintampo-Tamale road. In the said accidents, twenty eight (28) passengers lost their lives and they were all sent to the mortuary at the Kintampo Government Hospital for family identification and burial.

But as some of the family members of the deceased were not coming for identification, the dead bodies begun to cause breathing problem for the residents in the hospital area.

Since there was no fridge at the mortuary department of the hospital to accommodate the dead bodies, a day after the accident, one could not pass near the hospital vicinity without covering the nose as the mutilated bodies of the deceased were producing bad odour.

The situation became worse when two days after the accident, some of the family members of the deceased had not come to identify their dead relatives. Most residents in the area had to move away to stay with friends and relatives outside the hospital area and some patients at the hospital had to run away for their safety.

Not able to contain the situation any more, the hospital authorities transported the dead bodies to the Techiman Holy Family Hospital mortuary whilst those identified to be Muslims were buried.

Before their burial, the Wangara Chief at Kintampo, Nana Fanyinama, asked why a hospital like the Kintampo government hospital could not acquire fridge at the mortuary department, saying it is a shame.

He has therefore called on the authorities concerned and well wishers organizations to come to the aid of the hospital with a mortuary fridge.

When contacted, a source at the mortuary department of the Kintampo Government Hospital told Ghanadot that the hospital had for the past two years exists without a fridge at the mortuary. He explained that in the year 2006 when the fridge developed fault, nobody has care to either repair or provide new one.

This he said was making their work difficult and made a passionate appeal to the authorities concerned to as a matter of urgency come to their aid.

Ghanadot