Police urge families to claim bodies at Bolgatanga Hospital

The Upper East Regional Police Command has appealed to the general public to visit the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital morgue to identify and claim bodies of their deceased relatives before a planned mass burial of unclaimed corpses.

In a statement signed by Chief Inspector Abdul Rahman Sumaila of the Regional Police Public Affairs Unit, the command said the hospital management had notified the police of its intention to dispose of several unidentified and unclaimed bodies that had been kept at the facility’s mortuary for an extended period.

The statement, released last Wednesday, explained that the move had become necessary to decongest the morgue, which is overstretched due to the increasing number of unclaimed bodies.

“The general public is entreated to come to the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital to identify and take the dead bodies of their beloved ones before the mass burial,” the statement said.

Valid identification

Due to the current situation, Chief Inspector Sumaila also advised residents to always carry valid national identification cards whenever they go out.

This, he explained, could assist in the identification process in case of any unforeseen events or emergencies.

To ensure the statement from the police reaches everyone, the service has called on community leaders, religious institutions and families within the region to circulate the information widely to enable relatives of the deceased to take appropriate steps before the hospital proceeds with the disposal exercise.

The Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, which serves as the major referral centre for the Upper East Region, periodically carries out mass burials of unidentified or unclaimed bodies to free space at the mortuary.

The hospital authorities, in collaboration with the police, often give prior notice to the public to allow families to reclaim their deceased relatives before such exercises.