Press Releases

Transcript of media session by SHWF on public mortuaries

Following is the transcript (English portion) of a media session by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, after visiting the Victoria Public Mortuary this (July 5) afternoon:

Reporter: Do you have any things to say to the deaths�� relatives?

Dr Chow: I can reassure that they will be treated with dignity and care in our mortuary because I have examined the procedure and also talked to the pathologists about the handling of bodies and the conduction of the autopsy procedure. What we have seen in the newspapers is not necessarily the real fact.

Reporter: Do you concern about it? And how bad the situation it is?

Dr Chow: Of course I am concerned about the quality and procedure of how we handle the corpses in the mortuary. I can reassure the public that they are handled with dignity and care. I can also reassure that what is seen in the newspapers is not necessarily how it is being done because the bodies are enclosed all in the bags. Although the zips need to be opened because of the need to equate the temperature between outside and inside the bags, but the limbs of the bodies would not be actually exposed and taken out of the bags.

Reporter: Can the cremation process be sped up?

Dr Chow: We have a pledge of an average of 15 days.

Reporter: Can it be sped up?

Dr Chow: The existing capacity can handle this pledge within 15 days. I would like to appeal to the public not to choose special times and special days unnecessarily because this would cause a lot of bottleneck areas.

Reporter: Any short-term measures?

Dr Chow: I don't think there is anything we can do at the moment.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript)




Ends/Tuesday, July 5, 2005
Issued at HKT 19:41

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