MEC hails heroic pathology services
Health MEC, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo recognised the important work of Forensic Pathology Service staff on the occasion of ten years since the DOH took over from SAPS.
THE KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, hailed all dedicated Forensic Pathology Services (FPS) staff throughout the province as the unsung heroes of the healthcare sector.
Speaking at an event in UThukela district to mark 10 years since the Health Department took over Forensic Pathological Services (FPS) from the SAPS, MEC Dhlomo said that while certain challenges sometimes existed – such as the periodic shortage of certain tools of the trade – there was reason to celebrate.
He described FPS staff as a group of “selfless, compassionate and hardworking cadres,” while urging them not to forget the power of prayer to overcome some of the challenges that came with the job. “One of the things that have made you survive is the faith that you have. No amount of money will ever meet the service that you give to humanity. Part of your payment will be in heaven,” he said.
He described FPS as one the most critical units in the Department, along with Emergency Medical Services. “If something goes wrong in these units, we would have a disaster.”
Since taking over the service in June 2006, the Department had built new mortuaries; refurbished existing ones; taken decisions around the staffing; including auditing their skills, knowledge and competencies; and ensuring that there was no disruption during the takeover of the service.
Today, the Department boasts 36 functional FPS facilities; eight state-of-the-art facilities; 24 that are still based at SAPS premises but run by the Department; four that are within hospital premises; two of these – in Phoenix and Pietermaritzburg – with a body capacity of 409 and 439 forensic pathology officer who are responsible for the collection and management of bodies.
MEC Dhlomo, who holds a diploma in Forensic Pathology from the College of Medicine of South Africa, said his own interest in this sector was sparked by the FPS work that had been expended on two tragic events a few years ago – the bus accident that claimed the lives of scores of Zulu maidens in Nongoma and the truck accident in Pinetown, in which 34 people demised.
“When I was called in to help out at Pinetown FPS, I was initially hesitant. But after I had heard what FPS staff in charge of the truck accident scene in Pinetown had gone through, I decided there and then that I wanted to be trained in this vocation. Part of dealing with this diploma was to put myself in these people’s shoes. When I go to dissect a body in Pinetown, I just imagine that people are doing this everyday.”
