The ministry of health has defended the involvement of mortuary attendants in cutting open and stitching corpses during post-mortems, saying the procedures are part of their official duties as outlined in a job description.
Principal Secretary (PS) Khanya Mabuza said the attendants were expected to perform such tasks under the direction of pathologists, dismissing concerns that they were undertaking responsibilities outside their designated roles.
Mabuza was responding to questions from this publication following concerns raised by mortuary attendants during a bilateral meeting involving the National Public Services and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU), the ministry of public service and the ministry of health.
The attendants, who are affiliated with NAPSAWU, reportedly said in the past, cutting open and stitching corpses were duties reserved for doctors and pathologists before the responsibilities were gradually delegated to them.
They alleged that doctors taught them how to make incisions and stitch bodies before and after post-mortems.
They further claimed that their duties sometimes extended to performing surgical incisions on the abdomens of deceased pregnant women to remove foetuses, after which they would stitch the bodies.
The attendants also alleged that doctors paid them E50 for performing these procedures. NAPSAWU President Bawinile Ndlovu previously told this publication that the union had sought clarity from the two ministries on whether the reported E50 payments constituted compensation or payment for additional duties.
However, Mabuza maintained that the attendants’ involvement in the procedures was provided for in their job description, which was drafted in October, 1985.
According to the PS, their responsibilities included arranging post-mortems, assisting pathologists by carrying corpses onto post-mortem trays, making incisions as directed by doctors and retracting the incised areas to allow doctors to examine the relevant body parts.
He said their duties also included stitching corpses after examinations, placing specimens in containers, wrapping bodies and returning them to refrigerators.
Mabuza said the ministry’s position was that mortuary attendants were performing duties in accordance with the documented job description. However, he encouraged the reporting of any specific instances where the attendants might have deviated from their prescribed responsibilities.
The PS added that job descriptions could be reviewed when members of a particular cadre requested changes.
On the alleged E50 payments by doctors, Mabuza clarified that the E50 was a government procedure and that the payment was authorised by the administration of the hospital where the procedure took place. He also disclosed that the mortuary attendants had submitted a petition to the ministry approximately three months ago complaining that this amount was not enough.
Meanwhile, the PS said the ministry would further investigate the matter to establish whether there had been any exploitation of the mortuary attendants or improper handling of deceased persons.
Asked about NAPSAWU’s concerns that the ministry did not attend to issues raised by the union with the urgency they deserved, Mabuza said the two parties worked closely on various matters through the Government Negotiating Team (GNT).
He explained that workers’ concerns were deliberated through the platform, with the intention of finding amicable and lasting solutions.
The PS further assured the nation that pathologists conducting post-mortems, including forensic examinations, were duly registered with the Medical and Dental Council.
“The ministry has also taken due diligence to ensure that they are qualified and appropriate for the duties they undertake. Their work is therefore enhanced by the presence of the mortuary attendants who are expected to perform duties as per their job description. Specific issues that may arise from the working relationship of the two cadres should be discussed with the ministry with the aim of finding amicable solutions,” he said.
