Families in the Free State have been unable to bury their loved ones due to an autopsy backlog. 

The Pheko family from Botshabelo buried their son and brother last week, after waiting three months for an autopsy.  “The body of my brother was found in December and an autopsy was only done on 6 March. It still breaks our hearts that we had to wait so long,” Ramorena Pheko says.   

The Kanono family from Thaba Nchu in the eastern Free State has been waiting for almost three weeks to know their son’s cause of death. Thembani Kanono is yet to be buried because his family is still waiting for an autopsy to be performed. 

“We’ve been waiting for an autopsy since mid-February. We were told there are currently only two centres able to do autopsies in the Free State,” says Thabani Kanono.  

The Free State Department of Health says the backlog is due to the closure of the government mortuary in Bloemfontein.  Autopsies are currently being done at the Botshabelo and Welkom facilities.  

The mortuary in Bloemfontein was closed in October last year after the Department of Labour identified serious infrastructure failures. The closure was meant to be temporary while the health department fixed the issues raised. 

At this stage, it’s not clear when the facility will reopen. 

Bad for business

Funeral homes are starting to feel the pinch and frustrations are building up. 

The owner of a reputable funeral home in Botshabelo and Thaba Nchu, who asked for his name to be withheld, accuses workers of delaying the autopsies on purpose. 

“How can they prioritise only bodies from one company? We are not told when the 3 bodies we brought for autopsy last week will be released,” he says. 

Workers at the Botshabelo-based government mortuary deny the accusations. A pathologist who only introduced himself as “Tso” says they are working overtime daily to end the backlog.

“We work on schedule and checklist. We are catering for the entire province. We are unable to finish up because people die daily and autopsies are required daily. Our people should just force the government to build more centres in the province so they cannot rely on two centres,” he says. 

Government working to clear backlog 

In a statement, the health department says it’s committed to resolving challenges highlighted by the labour department.

“We understand that this situation has significant implications, not only affecting the operations of local funeral parlours but also causing considerable distress for families during an already challenging time. The department is committed to addressing this issue urgently.

“To rectify the backlog, the Department is actively working to resolve the challenges facing the government mortuary and restore its operations as soon as possible. We are taking all necessary measures to ensure that the mortuary can resume its critical functions.” – Health-e News