The Taoiseach says there's no evidence to back up claims that bodies were left decomposing in corridors in University Hospital Waterford.
It's after a number of consultants at the hospital wrote to the HSE to say the mortuary was way over capacity.
Their letter claimed: "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"
In a statement released last night, the hospital said there's no evidence to substantiate the claims.
They said they haven't received any complaints from members of the public or any incident report from members of staff.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar echoed their statement.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says there’s no evidence to back up claims that dead bodies were left decomposing on trollers at University Hospital Waterford pic.twitter.com/wuWYNlbUNd
— Seán Defoe (@SeanDefoe) April 30, 2019
Speaking in Waterford today, the Taoiseach said: "The coroner was unaware of it... the funeral homes that have been asked were unaware of it.
"There were no incident reports from any staff, and also there were no complaints from any families.
"It's definitely a strange story - I don't know if those claims are true or not, but it doesn't seem there's any evidence to support them."
In the wake of last week's report, the South/South West hospital group said a mobile refrigerated unit will be on site within the next two weeks.
They add that a minor extension to the existing mortuary build and an additional refrigeration unit will be on site and available for use in eight to 10 weeks.
Plans for a new mortuary at the hospital have already been announced, and it's hoped the new facility will be complete within two years.
