Waterford coroner says the cessation of autopsies in Waterford is “appalling”

In Mr. Goff’s opinion, no other mortuary in the country has the physical capacity to carry out the number of autopsies that the UHW currently carries out.
Waterford coroner says the cessation of autopsies in Waterford is “appalling”

UHW

The Waterford coroner says the cessation of autopsies in Waterford is “appalling.” 

John P. Goff, the coroner for Waterford, expressed anger and frustration at the decision to end autopsies being carried out in UHW, which serves the South-East region.

In a letter to the University Hospital Waterford (UHW), he asked the HSE and the UHW to reverse their decision in order to "avoid a public health emergency" in the affected counties. 

In the letter, Mr. Goff pointed out that post-mortems are both a public service as well as a legal requirement when requested by the county coroner. 

He said that it's “appalling” that “no arrangements have been made for post-mortems to be carried out from January 1.” 

He said: "The HSE has made this problem for themselves.” He explained that by combining Kilkenny, Wexford, Tipperary and Waterford, it has created the biggest mortuary in the country.

In Mr. Goff’s opinion, no other mortuary in the country has the physical capacity to carry out the number of autopsies that the UHW currently carries out.

Up to 700 coroner-requested autopsies are conducted each year in Waterford.

Mr. Goff said that come January 1 2026, “I will be receiving calls from families asking when can they make funeral arrangements for their loved ones and I won’t know what to tell them.” 

According to a letter sent to Fine Gale TD for Tipperary-South, Micheal Murphy, from the Director of UHW, Ben O’Sullivan, the current workload in UHW requires 18 pathologists; there are currently just six people in the post.

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