Patients to share wards with dead bodies as mortuary workers begin strike today

Patients receiving treatment at the various government hospitals will today March 5, 2019, share wards with dead bodies as mortuary workers begin a nationwide strike today.

Bodies which have been kept in the mortuary for preservation will also be abandoned by the mortuary workers.

Their move follows the inability of the Health Ministry to address their concerns over poor working conditions.

Last year, they suspended a planned strike to demand better condition of service and improved working conditions.

The Secretary of the Mortuary Workers Association, Kofi Jordan accused the Health Ministry of reneging on their numerous promises to address their grievances.

“The attitude of the Ministry of Health has not been very positive. They have gotten what we call the feet dragging attitude, at this point we cannot allow this to continue. They are not being positive with us and they keep tossing us, we are pushing you to National Labour Commission, to the Ministry of Employment for negotiations, they want to come out with time table but the time table never comes. So this time around we think that it is proper for us morally and legally to strike. Nothing fruitful has come out, as we speak all the things they put on paper we have not seen a single one materializing. We realize that they are actually trying to play some kind of games with us and we cannot allow this anymore.”

Mr Jordan warned that dead bodies will be left on the wards and accident centres when the strike takes off today.

“What will happen is that there will be no attendants to attend to you, nobody will come to work. It’s going to be an empty hospital without people carrying dead bodies, no embalming, without the attendants having to do their normal duties.”