Durban - Only undertakers with valid Certificates of Compliance will be allowed to collect bodies from hospitals. This is according to National Health spokesperson, Popo Maja.
Maja's comments come after a group of disgruntled members of the National Funeral Practitioners of South Africa visited three Durban hospitals, demanding to be allowed to remove corpses despite not being in possession of certificates or letters of agreement.
On Thursday, the group went to the RK Khan Hospital in Chatsworth as well as the Netcare Parklands Hospital and St Augustine's Hospital demanding to speak to management.
Speaking to IOL, NafupaSA's Muzi Hlengwa said they also wanted a share of the business.
He said bigger parlours that had the capacity to keep bodies were not allowing smaller and up-and-coming businesses to have a share.
"We cannot be denied our rights and opportunities. We took it upon ourselves to visit hospital and spoke to managers. We handed over our memorandum and express our dissatisfaction," he said.
He said government and private hospitals outsource their services to parlours and they wanted to be able to get a share.
According to the memorandum, NafupaSA is dissatisfied with the department's decision to deny funeral undertakers, who are not in possession of a Certificate of Compliance, to remove human remains from hospital and forensic mortuaries.
"We verily believe that it is impractical for every funeral undertaker to have a Certificate of Compliance, hence the need to outsource such services. In the same manner that the Department of Health outsources in areas where it does not have a mortuary facility," the memo stated.
Hlengwa said managers at two of the hospitals were calm and understood their cause.
He added that at the third hospital, a scuffle ensued after a guard assaulted a woman who was part of the group.
Maja said the National Department Health will meet with their counterparts at provincial level to find a way forward on the matter.
"We will have a feedback meeting with the association on Tuesday. Those who collect corpses at hospitals must use a Certificate of Compliance or a Letter of Agreement with a Certificate of Compliance. We will also liaise with associations and host a conference to look at legislation when things are back to normal - after the pandemic. However, those who are pushing for national to withdraw the need for a Certificate of Compliance need to know that we never reached an agreement. Feedback on this will be provided after the meeting," he said.
Netcare Regional Director, Craig Murphy, condemned what he called "acts of thuggery aimed at healthcare workers who have already sacrificed so much for communities".
"We will not tolerate such behaviour and will take all necessary steps to safeguard our patients, our healthcare workers and our community. Police were called to the scene and we have reported the incidents of assault to the SAPS and will do everything to assist them in their investigation," he said.
IOL