Irish Examiner view: Grieving families should not face further trauma due to autopsy delays

A halt to coroner-requested autopsies at University Hospital Waterford could delay families from burying their loved ones

Consultant pathologists at University Hospital Waterford will withdraw from conducting coroner-requested autopsies from January. Picture: iStock 

The Irish approach to funerals and wakes is admired by many people outside this country, but such ceremony does not make the loss of a loved one any easier. It is always one of the most stressful times in a person’s life, no matter the circumstances of the deceased’s passing.

That makes the news coming out of Waterford this week all the more shocking.