The Tribune

By DANA SMITH

Tribune Staff Reporter

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH Minister Dr Perry Gomez dismissed reports of a missing body at the Princess Margaret Hospital morgue, though he confirmed the facility suffers from an ever-present overcrowding problem.

Speaking outside Cabinet yesterday, Dr Gomez said bodies are sometimes left in the morgue for years and sometimes have to be kept in separate refrigerated containers. He said the country needs a new facility.

Acknowledging press reports on a man’s body being misplaced, he dubbed it an “absolute lie”.

He said: “I spoke to the administrator officer for that area yesterday, because I inquired about the story that was in the press about a body being missing and he said it was an absolute lie. It was not missing; the body was very much present.”

Speaking on the overcrowding, the minister said the morgue is “almost always full” and has been that way for a long time. “So I’m not surprised that the situation would be the same,” he said.

“There’s no question to my mind that we need a new morgue for the country; but the situation, the refrigeration, I understand, is working well and it’s just crowded.”

When asked by the press about bodies being kept in separate trailers because of overcrowding, he said: “I am also told that they had a few bodies in a refrigerated container . . . but I don’t know how many.”

However, bodies are released and any required post mortem examinations are done “in a timely fashion,” Dr Gomez said.

As for bodies that are not recovered, the minister said: “They are kept for certain lengths of time – I can get back to you on the absolute time – and then the government would organise burials because sometimes the bodies are there for years unclaimed.”

Overall, though, Dr Gomez said, he is satisfied with the job the workers at the morgue are doing.

“They are doing the best they can,” he said. “They are very responsible people and like I say, the final analysis: we need a new facility.”