The Mortuaries and Funeral Facilities Agency (MoFFA) has given unlicensed mortuary facilities in the Ashanti Region ten days to regularise their operations or face sanctions. The directive follows an inspection exercise that uncovered lapses in occupational health and safety, infection prevention and environmental sanitation at several sites.
The inspection team reported that many facilities suffered from poor infection‑prevention practices, inadequate safety measures and littering within and around mortuary compounds. “Most of the facilities had a lot of challenges regarding occupational health and safety, infection prevention, and also environmental safety,” the agency said.
MoFFA also praised those facilities that met the required standards, noting that some had implemented effective infection‑prevention measures and maintained clean environments. “Some of the facilities also did well. We commended them because they were putting infection prevention practices in place, and their environment was also on point,” the agency added.
Facilities operating without a licence have been given a ten‑day window to correct the identified deficiencies and regularise their operations. “For other facilities that are yet to get a licence to operate, we are giving them ten days to work on it, regularise their actions and meet the requirements needed for them to get the licence to operate,” the agency said.
The agency warned that failure to comply within the stipulated period will attract legal action. “For those who don’t comply with the ten days that are given for them to regularise their actions, we would let the law take its course,” MoFFA stated. Offences under the relevant law could attract a penalty of up to six thousand penalty units, imprisonment for up to three years, or both, subject to the court’s decision.
MoFFA urged all mortuary and funeral facility operators to meet the required standards to protect public health and safety.
