Establish more community mortuaries to ease congestion in hospitals – AHSAG

The Association of Health Service Administrators, Ghana (AHSAG), has issued a call for the establishment of additional community and city mortuaries to address the congestion in hospital mortuaries nationwide.

In a communique released following their 46th Annual General Conference and Continuing Professional Education in Abokobi, Greater Accra Region, AHSAG expressed the need for more community/city mortuaries supervised by the Mortuaries and Funeral Facilities Agency (MoFFA) to alleviate congestion and uphold dignity in body preservation.

“We look forward to the establishment of more community/city mortuaries under the supervision of MoFFA to relieve hospital mortuaries of the congestion being experienced and ensure dignity in the preservation of bodies” portions of the communique stated.

AHSAG acknowledged the establishment of MoFFA under the Health Institutions and Facilities Act, 2011 (Act 829), commending the Ministry of Health for the initial resources provided.

However, the association urged prompt allocation of additional resources, including funding, infrastructure, and personnel, to ensure MoFFA can effectively fulfill its mandate.

“We commend the Ministry of Health for providing the initial resources required for the operations of the Agency. We hope additional resources in terms of funding, infrastructure, and personnel will be provided as soon as possible to enable the Agency to deliver on its mandate. We will support MoFFA in its efforts to streamline and regulate the activities of mortuary and funeral home operators” AHSAG said.

In a statement of solidarity, AHSAG pledged support for MoFFA’s efforts to streamline and regulate the activities of mortuary and funeral home operators. The association emphasized the importance of collaborative action to address congestion issues and enhance the overall functioning of mortuary services in Ghana.

The 49th Annual General Conference by AHSAG themed “Appointment of Hospital Administrators: A New Dawn in the Health Administration Profession Towards Achieving Universal Health Coverage”.

AHSAG expressed commitment to providing effective leadership and supporting government efforts in addressing challenges to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030.

“Since the Alma Ata Declaration in 1978, several strategies have been adopted to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC). We support the concept of Networks of Practice (NoP) as an effective approach towards achieving UHC by 2030. We recognise, however, that formidable challenges exist in the implementation of the NoP concept including inadequate infrastructure, inadequate supply of commodities, and poor administrative and governance
systems”

Additionally “We commit to providing effective leadership, particularly at the hospital level to complement the efforts by government and development partners to ensure more targeted resource allocation and utilisation to FastTrack the achievement of UHC”. said the Communique signed by Effah Yeboah, President of the Association, Bernard Fiifi Polley, General Secretary, and Abulais Yaro Haruna, Public Relations Officer.