Nkontompo Youth Outraged as Effia Nkwanta Mortuary Rejects Decomposing Body, Leaving Corpse in Open
A wave of fury has swept through the Nkontompo community after mortuary attendants at Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital refused to accept the decomposing remains of a local resident, known as Uncle Kofi (alias Alright), forcing the body to be returned and left exposed in the open for hours.
The incident, which unfolded on Friday, November 14, 2025, has sparked accusations of insensitivity and procedural neglect, prompting demands for accountability from hospital management and local authorities.
The ordeal began when residents, alarmed by a persistent foul odor emanating from Uncle Kofi’s single-room apartment, broke in to discover his body in an advanced state of decomposition. Initially mistaking the stench for a dead animal, neighbors were horrified to find the elderly man—believed to have died days earlier from natural causes—alone and unattended.
Acting swiftly, the deceased’s landlord, Samuel Kwofie, and members of the Nkontompo Electoral Area Unit Committee alerted the police and arranged for the body to be transported to Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital for storage while efforts continued to locate next of kin. However, upon arrival, mortuary staff rejected the remains, citing the overpowering smell and lack of prior preparation by environmental health officers.
“They just turned us away,” Kwofie recounted. “We begged them—this was a human being, not trash. But they said the body was too decomposed and sent us back.”
For several agonizing hours, the corpse lay uncovered in the community under the scorching sun, a grim spectacle that traumatized residents, especially children. Youth in Nkontompo mobilized in protest, blocking roads and threatening to storm the hospital until intervention came.
Under mounting public pressure, police returned in the afternoon, this time accompanied by officers from the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Environmental Health Office. The body was finally accepted at the morgue after proper documentation and sanitation protocols were followed.
Christian Baidoo, Public Relations Officer for Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital, defended the attendants’ decision in a statement:
“Standard protocol requires that highly decomposed bodies be handled first by environmental health officers to minimize health risks and ensure safe transfer. The community bypassed this step, which led to the initial rejection.”
He clarified that the hospital later accepted the remains once protocols were met, expressing regret over the distress caused but maintaining that staff followed safety guidelines to protect both workers and the public from biohazards.
The incident has reignited long-standing complaints about under-resourced mortuaries in regional hospitals, where staff shortages and inadequate facilities often lead to such standoffs. Community leaders have called for:
An immediate apology from hospital administration
Training for mortuary staff on compassionate handling of remains
Establishment of a dedicated crisis response unit for decomposed body retrievals
Local Assembly Member Hon. John Arthur condemned the episode as “dehumanizing,” vowing to raise the issue at the next Metropolitan Assembly meeting. “No family should endure this. Uncle Kofi lived among us—he deserved dignity in death.”
As arrangements for Uncle Kofi’s burial proceed, Nkontompo remains on edge, with youth groups pledging to monitor the hospital’s response.
The case underscores broader systemic gaps in Ghana’s public health infrastructure, particularly in managing post-mortem care in underserved urban communities. Authorities have assured a full review to prevent future occurrences.
