Will mortuary strike finally end?

The standoff between Forensic Pathology Officers and the Gauteng Health department remained unresolved, with hopes to find a solution pinned of the resumption of negotiations today.

Pathologists have been on strike for the past two weeks and despite a marathon meeting on Wednesday in Pretoria, where the senior management of the health department, the representatives of the FPO, and a special Public Health and Social Development bargaining council, sat to discuss the concerns of the Forensic Pathology Officers, the parties failed to find common ground.

The strike has affected state mortuaries in various parts of the province with several aggrieved families forced to postpone the funerals of their late family members due to the backlog of pending postmortems. The strike has resulted in the backlog of more than 200 bodies, according to the department.

“We express our condolences to the bereaved families and greatly regret the inconvenience and suffering they have endured because of the work-to-rule action that caused delays in releasing the remains of their loved ones,” said Gauteng Health MEC Dr Gwen Ramokgopa, who approached the Defence Ministry asking for assistance after it was clear that the striking professionals were not budging.

The South African Military Health Services was sent to the most affected facilities in the province to assist in performing autopsies and to clear the backlog.

Ramokgopa’s office told City Press that she had spoken with the families, telling them what her department planned to do to resolve the matter so that they can bury their loved ones soon.

She said her department’s priority was to ensure that legitimate concerns of all staff were addressed quickly and that services for the public resumed as soon as possible.