Horrific conditions at East Cape mortuaries

I was horrified to see the lead in today’s Daily Dispatch! Journalists conducted an investigation into conditions are state-run mortuaries in the Eastern Cape and came out with some shocking findings. They discovered that bodies infected with hepatitis B and C were left in the open along with removed organs, unqualified people were performing autopsies, employees don’t have the required protective clothing, sewerage systems were blocked, blood spattered walls, floors and equipment were common place, and staff often had little respect for bodies. They have photographic evidence of bodies stacked on top of each other in refrigerators, and some bodies are uncovered and in advanced stages of decay. The most shocking photograph is of a dead baby left to rot in a bucket at the Mthatha mortuary. I apologise for those that feel offended by me publishing this picture on this blog, but no words can illustrate this shocking situation better. The expose covers four pages, so I won’t go into any further graphic detail, but this statement sums up the conditions “mortuaries in the Eastern Cape do not even meet World Health Organisation (WHO) standards and guidelines for handling the dead during a disaster”. Possibly the most appalling fact of all is that government officials still insist that there is “no crisis” at provincial morgues. I must congratulate the reported on an impressive piece of investigative journalism, however I just wish that the subject matter was less depressing.

For more on this story visit the Daily Dispatch.

Also see DA MPL John Cupido's Media Statement
Image: Daily Dispatch