Forensic pathology services in the Eastern Cape are in shambles, with severe staff shortages, insufficient equipment and workers exposed to illnesses they have not received vaccinations for.
These were some of the findings by the portfolio committee on health.
The committee, led by Mxolisi Dimaza, released a report in October after visiting hospitals and clinics in the Amathole district as part of the Taking Legislature to the People campaign. The committee also visited several forensic pathology services around the province, which found that the ones in Alfred Nzo, Chris Hani and OR Tambo District Municipalities were the worst when it came to infrastructure.
Problems identified included: Serious staff shortages;
Available staff thinly distributed, while performance of overtime services was limited to a 30% overtime allowance of one’s monthly salary;
Long vehicle repair turnaround times under the provincial fleet management scheme;
Staff using inappropriate resources like surgical gloves from hospitals to handle bodies;
No Lodox machine;
No ICT connectivity in forensic pathology services bases;
Almost no forensic pathology services facilities were properly secured and didn’t have security guards; and
No proper or timely vaccination offered to forensic pathology officers in spite of the risks when handling bodies. Provincial health superintendent-general Dr Tobile Mbengashe confirmed he was aware of the report.
“We’ve addressed some of the issues. Things like dissecting tables and instruments have been bought by the department and others will be [purchased] in the next financial year,” he said. Mbengashe said the department provided a disposable protective uniform but that staff had rejected it saying they preferred another brand.
On the issue of overtime, he said: “We’ve applied to the public service administration to deviate from the 30% limit. We’ve requested this because we have noted the demand of their services and it’s difficult to plan when people will need forensic services.”
Mbengashe said he was unaware that the staff were not being vaccinated and conceded that this was of utmost importance. “Vaccines are readily available. If there’s a problem, we will address it immediately.”
Responding to the issue of the Lodox machine, Mbengashe said: “The Lodox is a highly specialised X-ray that can also fast-track postmortems. It’s not a standard piece of equipment and is very expensive. It’s not an essential component of forensic services. We’re also aware of the staff shortages and it is something we’re trying to resolve.”
Dimaza said because of the nature of their work, the forensic officials should not be using normal latex gloves because sometimes they had to handle decomposing bodies and required gloves made of stronger materials and they needed different sizes.”..