9 Oct 2010

Autopsy room closed

7:29 am on 9 October 2010

Tauranga hospital has closed an autopsy room it provides to the Ministry of Justice, for health and safety reasons.

Bay of Plenty District Health Board says the air exchange rates and separation zones at the facility have not been up to scratch for nearly two years.

Bodies which need to undergo post-mortems will now have to be transferred to either Rotorua or Hamilton and then back again.

The DHB says the ministry repeatedly said it would address the problems but did not.