Yeji Residents Steal body of Deceased COVID-19 patient

Some residents of Kojo Boffour, a neighbouring community at Yeji in the Bono East Region have reportedly attacked workers of St. Mathias Catholic Hospital to ‘steal’ the body of a deceased person.

The residents are said to have beaten the security men at the hospital’s mortuary, and removed the remains of the person suspected to have died from the COVID-19 disease.

Rev. Father Kojo Adjei Buadu, a management member of the hospital, narrating the incident to Accra-based Citi FM, said the family of the deceased had disagreed to proceedurally isolating the body, in compliance to COVID-19 safety protocols.

He added that, the attack on the hospital over the deceased body happened thereafter.

"There was an issue concerning a body that was brought in here. Initially, the person had been brought to the hospital and it was suspected that he had COVID-19 and so a sample of him was taken to Kumasi.

"The family vehemently disagreed to allow the person to be isolated and so they sent the person home and later on, it happened that he passed on and was brought to the hospital mortuary without the notice of management."

"Later on, when we found out, we made sure that all the protocols were followed. We actually spoke to the family so that they will allow the COVID protocols to be followed. But they insisted that they wouldn't agree. All of a sudden, we noticed that on Friday, the youth came to the hospital around 4 pm, beat the security men on duty, broke into the mortuary, and took the body for burial," he added.

He called on the law enforcement agencies to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators to serve as a deterrent to others in the community.

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Why COVID-19 patients cannot have normal burials

According to the Head of Pathology Department of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Dr Simon Naporo, the body of a deceased COVID-19 patient remains contagious even after death.

Due to this, it is necessary to adhere to some saftety measures in burying them, to avoid further spread of the disease.

He said noted that, as part of the safety protocols, the body or parts of the deceased body, is not released to the family to avoid risk of infection.

“Due to the fact that even after death the bodies remain contagious, they are not released to the families, neither are any parts of the body such as the hair strands, nails or anything on the bodies at the time of their death, retrieved.

“So unlike what happens in other situations, as soon as people die of COVID-19, their families are informed and almost immediately, the remains are interred in line with approved protocols for the highly contagious diseases,” he told Daily Graphic.