The Ghana Police Hospital has announced a mass burial exercise for approximately 200 unclaimed bodies in a desperate move to decongest its overcrowded mortuary.
The burial is scheduled to take place within the first quarter of 2025, and families with missing relatives have been given a strict deadline of February 28, 2025, to visit the hospital’s pathology department to identify and claim their loved ones before they are laid to rest in a collective grave.
Hospital authorities have raised alarm over the severe congestion in the mortuary, warning that storage capacity has been stretched to its limits. “This exercise is necessary to create space and improve conditions for new admissions,” officials stated.
The Ghana Police Hospital is not alone in facing this crisis, as other medical facilities across the country are also grappling with similar issues.
In the Western Region, the Police Hospital in Bogoso has scheduled the burial of seven unclaimed bodies that have been in storage for over 20 months, while Tema General Hospital is preparing a similar exercise to tackle morgue congestion.
The Police Hospital is urging the public to spread awareness and assist in identifying unclaimed bodies to prevent families from unknowingly losing the opportunity to give their deceased relatives a dignified farewell.
“We appeal to the public to come forward and help us ensure that no family loses a loved one to an anonymous burial,” hospital authorities emphasized. The call is now on citizens to act swiftly before the deadline, as the final resting place for these unclaimed souls looms.
