Gauteng Health Department dealing with over 10 900 post-mortem reports backlog

The Gauteng Health Department has revealed there are currently over 10 900 post-mortem reports in the province and is working around the clock to decrease the backlog.

The department said the turnaround time for conducting and producing a post-mortem reports vary case by case and it can take between 60-90 minutes to be conducted, while reports can take between four to six weeks per case.

Spokesperson Kwarra Kekana said this is due to the complex nature of performing a post-mortem which involves various role players and the nature of each case.

“This is due to the fact that investigations take place in various divisions. The biochemistry tests for blood and toxicology are conducted at Forensic Chemistry Laboratory, whereas the post-mortem is conducted at Forensic Pathology Laboratories.”

“Different circumstances in these divisions determine the time it takes to complete a post-mortem report.
And also the nature of each case plays a part in turnaround times,” Kekana said.

She said while a single stab wound report may take shorter to complete than a multiple gunshot death case report, multiple gunshot wounds, which are prevalent is some areas of the province contribute immensely to backlogs.

“There is currently a backlog of over 10 900 post-mortem reports in the province. And of those 2308 are at forensic chemistry laboratory and the rest at the forensic pathology laboratories. The filling of all funded posts as and when they become vacant is prioritised to ensure that facilities have adequate human resource personnel to carry out the work.”

The Gauteng Health Department said its Forensic Pathology Services (FPS) works very closely with the South African Police Services (SAPS) and the Justice Department in carrying out its work.

“The FPS’s primary objective is to render medico-legal investigations of deaths that serves the judicial process. The teams adhere to a standardised, uniform protocols and procedures which are set out
nationally in order to ensure objective, impartial, and scientifically accurate results,” the department said.

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