The situation has created a strong odour affecting hospital staff and passersby.

The three, all male, are part of seven bodies moved in August 2025 from Sawla to Damongo due to a lack of space.

Hospital sources told JoyNews the problem was caused by a mortuary fridge that broke down for a week.

The conflict began on August 24, after a dispute over ownership of a 10-square-metre piece of land in Gbenyiri.

The matter was settled at the Chief’s palace, but one party disagreed. Violence broke out, leaving five people dead.

The clashes spread to other parts of Sawla-Tuna-Kalba and the Bole District.

When contacted, the Savannah Regional Crime Officer, ASP Godfrey Quaye, said the police had not been officially notified by the hospital.

“Well, I’m hearing this from you for the first time because the hospital officials are yet to speak to the police,” ASP Quaye said.

On when the bodies would be released for burial, ASP Quaye explained, “You see, the Regional Minister said we should hold on, and also, there are other processes that we need to go through to ensure that nothing goes wrong, and we don’t also know whether government will do the burial or not.”

Sources say the Savannah Regional Security Council is divided.

Some members support a diplomatic burial to avoid tension. Others want the bodies released to families.

In the absence of Regional Minister Salisu Be-Awuribe, hospital authorities contacted the West Gonja MCE, Yakubu Yussif Castro, to help fix the fridge. That effort failed.

On Saturday, September 27, hospital officials brought in a technician from Tamale to repair the fridge. As of filing this report, the situation had not improved.

Currently, Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District Hospital holds five bodies. St. Anne’s Catholic Hospital has seven. Three bodies at Sawla have already been identified and buried.

Source: Isaac Nongya

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This troubling development comes in the wake of the ongoing nationwide strike by members of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA).

The strike began after a breakdown in negotiations with the government, which requested to delay the implementation of nurses’ new conditions of service—agreed in 2024—until 2026, a proposal the GRNMA has firmly rejected.

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, the General Secretary of MOWAG, Richard Kofi Jordan, described the current situation as “alarming.”

“Looking at the number of deaths compared to the past, the death toll has increased significantly. It’s not surprising because of the absence of nurses,” he stated.

Mr. Jordan noted that mortuaries across the country are overwhelmed by the surge in deaths, many of which he said are being reported from homes rather than hospitals.

“People are dying everywhere. Wherever there is a morgue, they are recording high deaths—and we attribute this to the nurses not being at post,” he said. “Many people are not going to the hospital, and that’s why we are seeing more bodies being brought from homes.”

He revealed that the situation is putting immense pressure and stress on mortuary workers.

“If it gets to a point where we can’t take it anymore, we’ll have no option but to refer families to the police station. It’s a serious issue that should never have gotten to this point—it should have been prevented.”

Mr. Jordan called on authorities to act swiftly to resolve the impasse, warning that the situation is becoming increasingly dire.

Meanwhile, the striking nurses have vowed not to return to work until the government implements the agreed conditions of service.

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According to Dr. Joseph, construction of the mortuary began two years ago but has since stalled due to financial constraints.

While the building structure has been completed, the facility remains non-functional as the critical installation of the cold room is yet to be carried out.

In an interview with Adom News correspondent Odehyeba Owusu Job, Dr. Joseph expressed concern over the impact of the incomplete mortuary on the local community.

“The incomplete mortuary has been a challenge for our community for far too long. As a medical doctor, I’ve seen firsthand the difficulties it poses for our deceased loved ones and their families,” he said.

He explained that in the absence of a functioning mortuary, families are forced to transport their deceased relatives to distant towns, adding emotional and financial strain during an already difficult time.

Dr. Joseph stressed that completing the mortuary would restore dignity to the handling of the dead and provide immense relief to bereaved families in Kpandai and surrounding communities.

He called on stakeholders, especially philanthropists and benevolent institutions, to partner with the hospital to bring the project to completion and improve healthcare infrastructure in the district.

MOWAG is demanding improvements in working conditions, including fair wages, a safer work environment, and adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) for its members.

These issues, according to the Association, have remained unresolved since 2019, despite continuous appeals to the government.

Richard Kofi Jordan, the General Secretary of MOWAG, voiced the Association’s frustration in an interview with Citi FM.

He accused the government of intentionally delaying the process by requesting unnecessary information from the association, which he claims is a tactic to stall negotiations without tackling the root of their grievances.

Despite numerous attempts to engage the government over the years, mortuary workers continue to work under hazardous conditions that threaten both their health and safety.

MOWAG asserts that the authorities’ lack of urgency in addressing these issues has made the situation untenable for its members.

Mr Jordan emphasised that, as a last resort, MOWAG members are now considering a strike to push the government into action.

He expressed hope that the warning would prompt authorities to finally address their demands to avoid disrupting essential services nationwide.

“We cannot strike in the middle of the month. So we are planning towards another week. It could be the end of this month, it could be the first week of next month [November], whichever it is, we will communicate the same to the public and then you understand.”

“As I speak to you, the government has demanded certain data from us and we feel that it is a way to delay the process. They demanded certain data from us, which we are providing.

“But that is not enough for us to say that we are not going to embark on our strike. We will surely strike if what we are asking for is not met within this month,” he said.

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According to him, he feels the pain of the workers because they are the most “underrated and underpaid”.

In a tweet on Friday November 24, 2023, the rapper said, “They deserve the right salary, equipment and environment to work effectively … We can escape some services in life but this ….”

Sarkodie believes that mortuary workers have one of the most “underrated and underpaid jobs yet one of the hardest and riskiest jobs.”

MOWAG on Monday served notice of an indefinite nationwide strike to begin on Wednesday, 29th November,2023, until their issues are resolved.

See tweet below

This will affect us heavy … Yes I wouldn’t want a strike especially from “them” but I understand… this is one of the underrated / underpaid jobs yet one of the hardest and riskiest jobs. They deserve the right salary , equipment and environment to work effectively … We can… https://t.co/BZ1M2u8htV

— Sarkodie (@sarkodie) November 24, 2023

The construction of the maternity block complex and the emergency department at the Jasikan Government Hospital, led to staff and other health workers, as well as patients of the facility heaving a sigh of relief as it was anticipated that the increasing congestion was soon going to be over in the facility.

A visit by Adom News’ Obrempongba Owusu disclosed that the project, which was started by the NDC administration, expected to provide enough accommodation and space for patients, has since been left to rot whilst patients struggle for space after years of its snail-pace progress of works.

It was also observed that aside the project’s current deteriorating state, unused building materials have also been left to the mercy of the rain while weeds have engulfed the abandoned project in the hospital.

This was revealed when the Jasikan municipal assembly commissioned and handed over ultra modern mortuary facility to the hospital.

Speaking in an interview with Adom News, the Medical Superintendent of the Jasikan Government Hospital, Dr Fedelis Atia, said the situation in the hospital was being compounded by the daily increases in the admission of patients.

He expressed worry about the government’s inability to complete such an important project.

He appealed to the government and other organisations to help complete the project to reduce congestion in the facility.

The MCE for the area, Elizabeth Kessewa Adjornor, in a joint ceremony to commission the facility, expressed excitement about the successful completion of the project which she said had been a priority for management, partly because there was a significant struggle for cold rooms.

She said the hospital had to often compete with nearby ones.

The MCE urged the staff working at the unit to maintain the cold room to the highest level of neatness to make the place comfortable for their cherished clients.

The Oti Regional Health Director, Dr Osie Kuffour Afreh, said the opening of the mortuary would remove from hospital authorities the burden of always relying on other facilities for body preservations, especially during emergencies.

He added that the facility will bring dignity to departed souls and the Cold Room system will help preserve the bodies better and protect the health of the staff who work there.

The Zanlerigu community was thrown into a state of mourning when the body arrived at his family house for the burial.

The late Toure, who was Roman Catholic by faith, was buried after a short service by the St John the Baptist Catholic Church at Zanlerigu.

The family described the gruesome murder of their son as too horrific which had since caused fear and panic among residents in the area and called on the police to help bring the perpetrators to book.

“Our son could not have hurt anybody to deserve such a horrific murder.” A family member said.

The late Adaboo got missing on January 2, 2023, when he left home for his daily Ndomie business at the Zanlerigu Market.

All efforts to find him proved futile.

The family said on January 10th, a friend who went to the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital morgue to retrieve the body of his father for burial alerted them about a body having a semblance of that of their son.

A visit by family members to the morgue also confirmed the body was their son’s and according to the mortuary attendant at the Bolgatanga Hospital, the Nangodi police command brought the body to the morgue on January 3, 2023, and said he was murdered at Kong Na-boug, a surburb of Kongo by unknown assailants.

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A police source said the body was found with the face bruised and covered with blood and he wore a female dress, a brassiere and black underwear with stones scattered around the body.

At the time of filling this report, a source close to the police service said no arrest had been made in connection with the murder.

It has emerged that some residents of Odumase in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality now charge their phones in the mortuary due to the power cut in the area.

According to the head of the department, Mr Amotey, residents from far and near troop to the mortuary every day to charge their phones.

In a day, he revealed he charges over 20 phones with a lot more always in a queue.

He made this known on The People’s Forum, a segment on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem Thursday.

Mr Amotey explained that as a result, he now closes very late in the night just because he wants to help the residents.

The development is in the wake of the community-wide power cut over an alleged exchange of gunshots between the military and some residents at Nuaso.

This comes a few days after a youth activist, Edmund Aboagye, revealed operators of mortuaries are asking families to come for the remains of their loved ones.

He said about five families have received incessant calls from mortuary attendants to retrieve their bodies because they are rotting at the facility.

According to him, the mortuary attendants say they cannot afford to fuel the generators that keep the facility running.

But according to Mr Amotey, the charging comes at no cost to the beneficiaries.

It can, however, not be established if hospital management has sanctioned his activity or if it is being done on their blindside.

Watch the video attached for more:

Police ordered toxicology tests which found Charlene McGregor had died of a methadone overdose but her family say they are baffled about how this happened and the hospital has offered no explanation.

Her body had been in the freezer for so long, a post-mortem examination into her unexpected hospital death was found to be inconclusive.

Charlene, 41, was admitted to hospital for treatment of a cyst behind her ear and was put on antibiotics and there were plans to remove the cyst.

But on March 12 at 6 am she was dead in her hospital bed.

Staff told her family she would need a post-mortem but it may take a bit longer than normal because of Covid.

Her brother William said the mum of four was a drug user and was on a methadone programme.

He told the Daily Record: “She didn’t have the best life but had been going with the same guy for 10 years and was beginning to turn her life around.

“We didn’t have much to do with her because of her drug issues but she was on a methadone programme and her prescription had been reduced. She genuinely seemed to want to take steps away from drugs.

“But she shouldn’t have died the way she did and we still don’t know why it happened.

“The night before she passed away she had been asking the nurses to give her anything to help her sleep. That was at about 2 am. By 6 am, she was dead.”

William from Drumoyne, Glasgow added: “She was obviously given methadone in the early hours because it was a very quick death.”

The family knew they would have to wait a bit longer than normal for post-mortem results but when they had heard nothing after six weeks, they contacted the hospital.

William said: “The hospital then contacted the family and said they needed to conduct an emergency family meeting.

“My partner and my mum went to it and were told, ‘We can’t apologise enough that she was still in the mortuary and hadn’t been sent for a post-mortem.

“They said they forgot about her. Right away, the alarm bells started.

“They said because she had been lying there in a freezer for six weeks the post-mortem could come back inconclusive. And that’s exactly what happened.

“I can’t help wondering if we hadn’t contacted them would my sister still be lying there?

“And did they deliberately leave her there for six weeks because they knew someone had made a mistake and if she was in the freezer that long a post-mortem wouldn’t find it?

“I think they thought because my sister was a junkie the family wouldn’t take things further. But she didn’t deserve that.”

It took two months before the family were able to have a funeral because of the post-mortem delay and waiting for toxicology reports.

William added: “When toxicology came back, it said the cause of death was methadone overdose.

“We were told the level of methadone in her system would have killed anyone. But where did she get it? Did someone prescribe too much by mistake? We want answers but no one is giving us any.”

Scottish Labour’s health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie called for a “full investigation” and demanded an inquiry into how Charlene overdosed while under hospital care.

NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde last night confirmed a Significant Adverse Event Review was currently underway into the circumstances of Charlene’s death.

Medical staff were stunned when Sreekesh Kumar showed signs of life as police arrive to identify the body and arrange an autopsy with his relatives.

The electrician’s family rushed him to hospital on Thursday after he was involved in an accident in the Indian city of Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh.

He was declared dead shortly after arriving, but when police visited the following morning, relatives noticed signs of movement and alerted doctors.

Recording the discovery, Mr Kuma’s sister-in-law Madhu Bala shouted: “He’s not dead, in fact far from it. How did this happen? Look, he wants to say something, he is breathing.”

Moradabad’s chief medical superintendent, Dr Shiv Singh, described the incident as the ‘rarest of rare cases.

He told the Times of India: “The emergency medical officer had seen the patient at around 3:00 am and there was no heartbeat. He told me he had examined the man multiple times.

“Therefore, he was declared dead. In the morning, a police team and his family found him alive.”

Rajendra Kumar, the hospital’s medical superintendent described the situation as ‘nothing short of a miracle.

After the shocking discovery, Mr Kumar was taken back to the hospital and was put on a ventilator as he remained in a coma.

Doctors were reportedly unable to operate on him because of a bleeding disorder and he eventually died yesterday.

Mr Kumar’s family said he had a clot in his brain and has since vowed to take legal action against all those responsible for his death.

Dr Singh said the district’s health department is now investigating the matter.