By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Calabar
The Cross River State Government has warned morticians and managers of government-owned mortuaries against poor handling of corpses, saying negligence could expose workers, relatives and members of the public to avoidable health and environmental risks.
The State Commissioner for Health, Elder Dr Henry Egbe Ayuk, gave the warning on Tuesday during a stakeholder meeting with managers of government-owned mortuaries and health facilities in Calabar.
Ayuk stressed the need for higher professional standards in the management of mortuaries, saying corpses must be properly handled and preserved from the point of admission until their release for burial.
“We want to appreciate you for what we are working together to achieve: quality healthcare. You know the dead have to be taken care of very well, not only the people who are alive. Even the dead, the corpse, if we are not taking good care of it, we also are running a risk,” he said.
The commissioner said the state government was committed to improving healthcare delivery by strengthening supervision and ensuring compliance with established health, safety and administrative standards.
He urged mortuary managers to ensure that their operations complied with approved procedures, noting that lapses in the handling and preservation of corpses could create avoidable risks.
Ayuk also directed managers to submit updated administrative reports and records on the operational status of their facilities to strengthen monitoring, accountability and oversight of mortuary services across the state.
The Director of Medical and Dental Services in the Ministry of Health, Dr Stephen Agbor, also called on managers to comply with the terms governing the use and management of government-owned facilities.
Agbor expressed concern over the failure of some operators to remit agreed revenues to the state government, warning that government could withdraw the Memoranda of Understanding of operators who failed to meet their contractual obligations.
“It is incumbent on us to know that most of these are contracts. The government has the right to withdraw all the MoUs when you are failing in your part.
“You have to pay those remittances, no matter how small, to government. But many people are not doing it, and it has become worrisome,” he said.
He urged managers to take their contractual responsibilities seriously, particularly the regular remittance of agreed revenues, stressing that compliance remained a condition for continued operation.
The meeting reviewed administrative and operational reports from government health facilities and mortuaries in Ogoja, Ugep, Calabar, Akamkpa and Ikom.
The session was attended by the ministry’s Procurement Officer, Mrs Ajie Achu, and other stakeholders who reviewed operational challenges and measures to improve compliance, accountability and professional standards in the management of mortuary services across the state.
