Dead bodies left on trolleys in corridors at Waterford hospital, employees’ letter claims

The dead bodies were "leaking bodily fluids on to corridors and making closed-coffin funerals unavoidable in some cases".

A letter composed by four employees in University Hospital Waterford has claimed that dead bodies have been left on trolleys in the corridors of the hospital. First seen in the Waterford News and Star, the letter claims that bodies are left to decompose in the hospital corridors, due to a lack of refrigeration facilities. Composed by Professor Rob Landers, Doctor Fergus Mac Sweeney, Doctor Nigam Shah and Doctor Christine Shilling, the letter reads:

"Due to inadequate body storage and refrigeration facilities, most bodies lie on trolleys in corridors, often leaking body fluids on to the floor.

“Bodies decompose in the corridors, leading to closed-coffin funerals with relatives unable to view the remains as a result of gaseous decomposition. The trauma imposed on the bereaved is almost unspeakable.

“The cramped facilities expose the public to the noise and odours of a working postmortem room when visiting the public areas of the mortuary for identification/viewing purposes and funerals."

The letter is addressed to Gerry O’Dwyer, chief executive of the South – South West Hospital Group in Cork.

We have reached out to the HSE for comment, but they have not yet responded.