mortuary

The mortuary has exceeded its capacity, leaving bodies lying around on the floor. PHOTO: Nehawu

DISGUSTING Phoenix mortuary issues as old as 2015 – Public Protector

The Public Protector heard of the issues of Phoenix mortuary back in 2015 when apparently bodies were piled up on the floor and in trolleys.

mortuary

The mortuary has exceeded its capacity, leaving bodies lying around on the floor. PHOTO: Nehawu

The appalling conditions of the Phoenix mortuary date back as far as 2015 when they were first raised to the Public Protector.

The mortuary is in deplorable conditions, with flies and bodies lying everywhere and a terrible stench due to a lack of disinfectants.  

PUBLIC PROTECTOR HAS ALREADY MADE RECOMMENDATIONS BACK IN 2019

The Public Protector South Africa (PPSA) first heard of the complaints of bodies piling up on the mortuary floors back in May 2015.

mortuary
Some of the bodies at the mortuary are still identified from the July unrest and the recent KZN floods. PHOTO: Nehawu

These complaints were initially raised by the Medical Rights Advocacy Network, which reported that bodies were also in trolleys and trays. The matter was investigated along with other mortuaries in KwaZulu-Natal, said spokesperson Oupa Segalwe.

“In addition to the Phoenix facility, that investigation covered Gale Street, Pinetown, Pietermaritzburg and Port Shepstone mortuaries.”

Oupa Segalwe

ALSO READ: Phoenix mortuary – flies, stench and bodies lying EVERYWHERE

But a report was released in March 2019 by the PPSA, which revealed a widespread problem in government mortuaries across the province, including the Phoenix facility.

At the time, the investigation established a lack of well-trained and experienced forensic pathologists and insufficient equipment. The poor cooperation between the South African Police Service and pathology services on pauper burials and delays in issuing post-mortem reports were also uncovered.

“These were found at the time to have prejudiced bereaved families.”

HEALTH DEPARTMENT HEAD WAS DIRECTED TO MONITOR THE MORTUARIES THREE YEARS AGO

The head of the provincial health department, among other authorities, was directed by the Public Protector to monitor the mortuaries. The head was also instructed to provide a detailed report to the PPSA on measures to remedy the issue of capacity at the facilities.

But the recent revelations of the conditions at the Phoenix mortuary are of grave concern when compared to the report on the implementation of remedial action back in June 2019.

“Then acting head of the department, Dr M Gumede’s report gave the impression that the department was seized with the implementation of the remedial action. The PPSA believes that had the remedies been implemented as suggested by Dr Gumede, the conditions at the Phoenix facility as reported would have been different,” Segalwe said.

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A forensic pathology vehicle at the Phoenix mortuary is clearly not used as it’s parked with a flat tyre. PHOTO: Nehawu

PHOENIX MORTUARY HAS NO CAPACITY OR REQUIRED EQUIPMENT

The mortuary’s storage capacity is seriously exceeded and strained. Bodies are lying on the floor since there is no storage in the fridges. This was discovered by the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), said the union’s provincial secretary Ayanda Zulu.

“There are still unidentified bodies from last year’s July unrest and this year’s floods.”

Ayanda Zulu

The fly-catchers in the autopsy room are out of order, meaning there are flies hovering over the mortuary and decomposing bodies.

In addition, the mortuary has no cleaning or disinfectant chemicals, resulting in the mortuary reeking of an unbearable stench. There are no blades or needles to cut and stitch up bodies, said Zulu.

The facility lacks gloves, gowns, masks and other PPEs issued to workers in the past three months. The drains in the autopsy room are blocked for months.

mortuary
Drains in the autopsy room of the mortuary have been left blocked for months. PHOTO: Nehawu

ALSO READ: Bodies ROT due to faulty generator at Ga-Rankuwa mortuary

PUBLIC PROTECTOR TO TAKE ACTION AGAIN

The PPSA and the provincial government met on Friday and agreed to meet again to identify outstanding work that should be implemented in a shorter period. This is because of the time that lapsed since the release of the report in 2019.

“The PPSA has also launched a new own-initiative systemic investigation to focus on new issues not covered in the initial investigation concerning the Phoenix facility. In this regard, investigators will be writing to the department, requesting a response to the allegations,” Segalwe said.