Gardai will no longer send bodies for postmortems to University Hospital Waterford in State cases because of concerns over the condition of its mortuary.
The move comes after four pathologists wrote a letter to the HSE claiming inadequate storage and a lack of refrigeration facilities had left bodies to decompose in corridors.
It is understood that in cases where postmortems are required for a criminal investigation in the south-east, bodies will now be sent to the city morgue in Dublin.
Ongoing consultations between the State Pathologists Office and gardai about the situation has given rise to the change in policy.
The pathologists who highlighted the horrific details said in their letter the cramped conditions lead to body fluids of corpses leaking on to floors. Families also had to have closed coffin funerals for their loved ones because of the condition of their remains.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has apologised for downplaying the seriousness of the issue after he said he was not sure if the claims were true. He referred to there being “no evidence” to support the “strange story” but has admitted he was wrong and said he wanted to “apologise unreservedly”.
Leo Varadkar apologises for 'wrong' remarks on University Hospital Waterford mortuary controversy
Reacting to the news, Sinn Fein Waterford TD David Cullinane said: “This is a very serious development. It is a disgrace that it has come to this.
“The Hospital Group, hospital management, and the HSE knew about the dreadful conditions at the mortuary since 2004 and yet, building works have still not commenced for a new facility.
“The HSE and the Department have very serious questions to answer. They must come before the Oireachtas Health Committee and we need a full, independent inquiry into services at the mortuary.”
Fianna Fail’s health spokesperson Stephen Donnelly said: “Ultimately we need to see a total culture shift within the HSE and government whereby workers, like the pathologists who first drew attention to this problem, feel safe coming forward with complaints.
“While the Taoiseach has recently apologised to the consultants, his original comments doubting their claims were decidedly unhelpful.
“It’s absolutely vital that we see Fine Gael take this seriously, not just for the doctors and hospital staff involved, but also for the families of those affected.”
When contacted, a garda spokesman said it does not comment on operational matters or third party letters.
