The post-mortem examination system in the south east could face serious delays over staffing, with one city coroner in the area saying families there may have to wait longer to bury their loved ones following a traumatic or sudden death.
It comes as the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland warned that funerals could be delayed if staff shortages and pressures in the post-mortem examination system are not addressed.
Speaking on RTÉ's News At One, Waterford City Coroner John Goff said: "In October 2024, University Hospital Waterford announced that they would discontinue post-mortem examinations from 31 December 2025."
Mr Goff said there were 700 post-mortem examinations carried out in Waterford during 2024, which covered Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny, Carlow and Tipperary.
He said there was a very good service in Waterford, to cover those areas but "it was announced that it was stopped, and no arrangements were being made to replace it".
"The problem is that there is no statutory provision for coroner post-mortems in Ireland, they have always been done in public hospitals by the pathologist employed by the hospital, but they said it was done on a voluntary basis," he said.
However, Mr Goff said he did not think that was correct as it "has been done since time immemorial".
He said the Department of Justice arranged for an agency in London to provide a panel of pathologists, so that one pathologist will travel to Waterford to carry out post-mortem examinations every Monday, Tuesday and Friday, adding that it started last Monday.
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"At the moment, we carry it out seven days a week, so now you are going to have three days a week, so there is going to be huge delays in carrying out post-mortems from now on," Mr Goff said.
The Waterford city coroner said a post-mortem is carried out when there is a sudden or unexplained death.
"They are always traumatic and very upsetting," he said.
"When somebody dies naturally from old age, it is not required," he added.
Mr Goff said a number of recent e-scooter deaths in Waterford have been very traumatic.
"The family now have to wait until the post-mortem is completed before they can make funeral arrangements," he said.
He said from Christmas Eve to 31 December, he had 15 deaths in his area and ordered post-mortem examinations in ten of those cases - for Waterford city alone.
"It was always very good in Waterford… but from now on they won’t know, it could be a week or two weeks before they know when the post-mortem will be carried out and when they can bury their loved one," he added.
Problem down to lack of pathologists
Mr Goff said it is a problem that has been brewing for some time, adding that there has been a dispute between the Department of Health and Department of Justice.
He said this was in relation as to whose responsibility it is.
"That is the crux of the problem. This has been a problem in Dublin, Cavan, Meath, Limerick and Cork, up to now," he said.
Mr Goff said the problem is down to a lack of pathologists.
"The ironic thing is that in Waterford, the HSE got funding for a state-of-the-art mortuary for post-mortems and then decided that they wouldn’t staff it," he said.
"It doesn’t make sense."
"In University Hospital Waterford, they do not have sufficient pathologists for the post-mortem work and the general work of the pathologist," he added.
"So, the hospital decided, 'well we will cut the coroner post-mortems’."
