Sir, – I was dismayed to read of the criticism directed at Prof Landers and his colleagues in the pathology department at University Hospital Waterford.
As a coroner in Co Waterford I have no reason to doubt the concerns of Prof Rob Landers and his three colleagues.
It will not always be apparent to coroners that these problems exist in the mortuary, as already evidenced by the comments of my city coroner colleague in your newspaper recently (News, April 25th). The postmortem service is essentially a service for the living in so far as it investigates the cause of death of the deceased for the benefit of family members. It is right and proper for Prof Landers and his colleagues to advocate for the families that have to use this service at a particularly vulnerable time for them, and if the pathologists believe that the service is not fit for purpose they are quite entitled to voice their concerns.
It is interesting to note that the HSE is making arrangements to provide mobile refrigeration facilities in the mortuary at short notice in an attempt to alleviate the acute problems, unlike the tardy approach to the ongoing problems in the cardiology department in University Hospital Waterford.
Furthermore, I was surprised to read of the Taoiseach’s recent comments in your newspaper while canvassing in Waterford on April 30th.
While there he had an ideal opportunity to view the facilities and, coming from a medical background, he would be in an ideal position to assess the problems in the mortuary for himself rather than to rely on information from the HSE, which has misled Government in the past. – Yours, etc,
Dr EOIN
MAUGHAN,
Coroner for the
County – East Waterford,
Tramore, Co Waterford.