Code red at Sydney morgue

[azathoth777]

HUNDREDS of bodies have been turned away from a Sydney morgue because of a Government funding crisis which has left families waiting up to a year to find out how their loved ones died.

The Sunday Telegraph can reveal Westmead morgue has issued seven "code red'' alerts since June this year due to a lack of storage space and pathologists.

Bereaved families are waiting up to two weeks to bury relatives due to a backlog of bodies caused by budget shortfalls and chronic understaffing.

Staff are also being forced to work in Third World conditions with "buzzing blowflies'', broken-down refrigerators and smells from decomposing bodies emanating from rooms with failing air-coolers.
Two forensic pathologists have quit and another is on extended leave with just one full-time staffer left to handle the caseload.

The details of the crisis are revealed in a series of letters from morgue staff to Government officials leaked to the State Opposition leader Peter Debnam.

Built in the 1970s, the morgue accepts bodies from across the State. Bodies are normally released to families within 24 hours after the cause of death has been determined.

However, morgue sources say the staffing crisis has left families waiting for up to two weeks to claim loved ones with the cause of death unknown in many cases.

In a letter to Westmead Coroner's Court magistrate Carl Milovanovich, forensic pathologistDr Neil Langlois called for an urgent strategy to be devised to deal with the crisis.

"I now have a backlog of over 120 cases waiting to be completed,'' Dr Langlois said.

"I shall attend to cases that are required for court matters and I will operate an urgent case list for matters that need to be completed; however, for non-urgent cases, I would expect a delay of at least nine to 12 months.''

In a separate letter to Mr Milovanovich sent in July, forensic medicine director Dr Peter Ellis said his calls for help to the Sydney West Area Health Service had been ignored.

"Only the homicides remain, of which there are six, including a double murder and a double murder/suicide,'' he said.

"With possible exception of the murder/suicide, I will not attempt to finalise any more.''

The Sunday Telegraph understands Dr Ellis quit last week.

The Sunday Telegraph can reveal the morgue was on "code red'' on June 11, 14, 25 and August 7, 13, 14 and 21.

A recent memo sent to 11 city and regional hospitals said only bodies from "non-hospital sites'' would be accepted.

An internal Western Sydney Area Health Service report published in October highlighted the chronic lack of storage space.

The Forensic Medicine Facility Needs Analysis report also revealed "an overlap of clean and dirty areas'', inadequate 25-year-old refrigerators and no room for "oversized'' bodies.

Mr Debnam said Premier Iemma owed families an explanation.

[scaryminda15]

what ever happend to not leaving anybody behind act