The Gauteng health department has prioritised filling vacancies as it pushes to trim the backlog of more than 10 000 postmortem reports.
The department said on Tuesday the reasons for the backlog vary, noting that some reports took longer than expected to be released.
It said while it normally takes about 60-90 minutes for a postmortem to be conducted, reports can take longer, about four to six weeks, depending on a case.
It explained: “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.
“There has also been a motivation for the review of the staff establishment and organogram in order to bolster the existing staff compliment to cater for the ever increasing Gauteng population and service demands.”
The department said 2 308 of the more than 10 000 cases are at the forensic chemistry laboratory and the remainder at the forensic pathology laboratories.
“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 a postmortem is conducted at the forensic pathology laboratories.”
MEDIA STATEMENT || GAUTENG HEALTH WORKING ON MEASURES TO DECREASE POSTMORTEM REPORT BACKLOGS pic.twitter.com/MUnQyBSO35
— Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi (@DrMokgethi) March 22, 2022
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