By Mavis Paintsil & Jennifer Tei-Nar, Accra
Ghana’s mortuaries have a new generation of professionals, and the Health Ministry says their job description now comes with a code of ethics.
The Ministry of Health on Wednesday inducted the country’s first batch of professionally trained mortuary attendants and environmental health officers in Accra. The event also opened “Death Care Week” and unveiled “Death Care Heroes”, an initiative to spotlight workers who handle the dead yet rarely get public recognition.
Reading the Minister’s address, officials said the work goes far beyond preparing bodies for burial.
“Healthcare does not end when life ends,” the statement read. “A responsible health system must ensure dignity in death, protect the living, support grieving families, and uphold societal values.”
Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Minister of Health, urged the attendants to treat confidentiality and dignity as core duties. He tied their work directly to infection control, environmental safety and mental health support for families, stressing that standards matter most during disease outbreaks and emergencies.
The Ministry pledged, through the Mortuary and Funeral Facilities Agency MoFFA, to raise service standards, supply logistics and provide protective equipment so workers can operate safely.
Prof. Titus Beyuo, guest speaker, said death care remains “indispensable to public health” despite years of secrecy and misconceptions around the profession.
The induction shifts mortuary work in Ghana from informal on-the-job training to certified practice, a move health authorities say will improve safety for both workers and the public.
Ghanaiannannouncer
send invite to aba.mavis@gmail.com,or call 0505913033,0207697495
advert, news, sponsorship, partnership, church activities, graduation, wedding ceremony, birthday party,call 0505913033,0207697495
