Niue's morgue is out of action - Health Ministry

Transcript

Niue's Minister of Health Pokotoa Sipeli has confirmed the island's morgue is out of action and the government has asked the families of people who die to hold funerals within 24 hours.

At the weekend a woman was buried on the day she died, upsetting family who wanted to travel from New Zealand.

On Tuesday, a New Zealand tourist died at the Matavai Hotel and was put on that day's flight back to New Zealand.

Earlier the hospital manager, Bob Talagi, said the morgue could still be used but Mr Sipeli says that is not the case.

He has told Don Wiseman that a unit has broken down, making it impossible to maintain temperatures and they are waiting for a part to be shipped from overseas.

POKOTOA SIPELI: At the present moment it is not workable, the morgue is not working. One patient died last week - that's apart from the tourist. And we have gone back to our old ways - if a person dies today he has to be buried today.

DON WISEMAN: You have gone to the people and said if there is a death there has got to be a burial within 24 hours.

PS: Yeah. It's our usual practice before.

DW: How far back though since that stopped?

PS: Ever since after the opening of the hospital some years back.

DW: And there was a New Zealander who died at the Matavai and I guess very fortunately for the government there was a plane coming in that day so he was put on it.

PS: Yeah it is lucky he died before the plane came, yeah, but if the plane had gone back to New Zealand, maybe we can't send him back, otherwise, because he was insured we could have looked for another alternative.

DW: So what are the alternatives?

PS: We have  to approach the New Zealand High Comm - whether it is possible to get in a plane to take him back to New Zealand.

DW: I understand with the funeral at the weekend there were family members from New Zealand who wanted to come.   

PS: Yeah we are aware of that. Like I say that [burial within a day] was our usual practice in the past.

DW: In terms of repairing the morgue, what is needed and what will it cost?

PS: It will cost less than 10,000 dollars [ NZ] to get in a unit.

DW: Is that underway, that process?

PS: We are arranging to get a new unit - like I said it maybe one or two weeks.

DW: [Acting Director of Health] Bob Talagi yesterday [wednesday] told me that it was still possible to use it, but that's not the case.

PS: No that is not the case. According to the technician the controlling of the temperature is not stable. So instead of using it, it is better not to. Otherwise instead of freezing or keeping the temperature it maybe hot or maybe too cold.