Thieves allegedly vandalise new mortuary at Prestea Gov’t Hospital
Thieves have allegedly vandalised the newly constructed mortuary at the Prestea Government Hospital after cutting and stealing electrical cables and copper components, delaying its commissioning.
The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, January 20, involved the removal of electrical cables connecting the facility to the national grid, as well as the theft of copper coils from the mortuary’s refrigeration system. The mortuary, though completed about five years ago, has not yet been put into use.
Caretaker of the hospital, Dr. Otoo Acheampong, described the incident as part of a recurring pattern of theft that continues to affect the facility.
“This is not the first time such an incident has happened. These repeated acts of theft are delaying the commissioning of the mortuary, which was built to replace the old and overstretched one,” he said, adding that inadequate security remains a major challenge.
Dr. Acheampong appealed to residents to help protect the facility, noting that the mortuary serves the entire community.
Technician at the facility, Michael Koomson, who responded to the incident, said he received a distress call at about 1 a.m. reporting a power outage at the new mortuary.
“When I arrived, the main hospital had power, but the mortuary building was completely dark,” he explained.
Upon further inspection at daybreak, Mr. Koomson said he traced the fault to vandalised cables leading into a nearby bush.
“About 100 metres of 16mm electrical cable had been cut and removed,” he said, adding that this was the third time such an incident had occurred at the facility.
He attributed the recurring thefts to the mortuary’s isolated location and the absence of dedicated security personnel, noting that the hospital is currently protected by only one security guard stationed at the main gate.
Hospital authorities say the damage has further delayed efforts to operationalise the mortuary and are calling for improved security to prevent future incidents.
