Last week, Paul Green Christian Democratic Party upper house MP asked the minister why Wagga’s “expensive state-of-the-art morgue” was sitting “idle”, adding to the trauma of grief-stricken Riverina families.

“Is the Minister aware that this new state-of-the-art morgue has never been used for the purpose it was built?" Mr Green said

“Why it is acceptable for family members to have to wait for their loved ones requiring autopsies having to be transported to Newcastle from all over rural New South Wales, often resulting in long delays for grieving families, while the big new morgue sits idle in their local area?”

Gundagai resident Jill Jones was left waiting to bury her son Mark after a tragic car accident in July last year.

Authorities requested an autopsy, which had to be carried out in Newcastle and required Mark’s body to spend days waiting for transport.

“It was terrible when it actually happened,” she said.

“It’s bad enough losing them, but when you have to wait 15 days to bury one of your loved ones because the morgue is not open (in Wagga), it’s just crazy.”

Independent Wagga MP Joe McGirr, who has an extensive background in healthcare and health administration, said the situation was “not good enough”.

“It’s not right for country people to have to have the bodies of their loved ones sent away to the city,” he said.

Dr McGirr said one possible solution would be to “upskill” practitioners who were already working in Wagga.

NSW Nationals deputy leader Niall Blair answered Mr Green’s question in Parliament on behalf of Health Minister Brad Hazzard. 

“It is a good question. I lived in Leeton for some time and I know a family from Narrandera who lost a loved one,” Mr Blair said. 

“They expressed anguish about their loved one having to be sent to Newcastle for autopsy and the delay that occurred. It is an issue.”

Mr Blair said he could not answer on “operational specifics”.

“It is an important issue for those of us who come from regional communities,” he said. 

“People in larger city centres take it for granted that they can have autopsies performed locally, while it is a traumatic experience for a family in a regional community already suffering the anguish of a loved one's death.” 

UPDATE: MONDAY

NSW Health Pathology has issued the following statement in response to the original story.

Wagga Wagga Base Hospital mortuary is operational and managed by the Murrumbidgee Local Health District.

This facility is used for the storage of deceased patients before they are released to their loved ones or to NSW Health Pathology for a coronial autopsy.

There are two types of autopsy examinations; coronial and non-coronial.

Non-coronial autopsies can be performed at the Wagga Wagga Base Hospital facility by a NSW Health Pathology Anatomical Pathologist.

Requests for non-coronial autopsies are however very rare and are managed by local hospital teams.

These requests typically come from the family when further answers are sought.

Since 2016 there has been only one non- coronial autopsy at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital.

Coronial autopsies and related testing are carried out by NSW Health Pathology’s Department of Forensic Medicine at the request and direction of the Coroner in the event of an unexplained or unexpected death.

These are always conducted at dedicated facilities in Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong.

Coronial autopsies can only be performed by highly qualified forensic pathologists who have undergone specialist training and certification.

These specialists are in short supply internationally and are challenging to recruit.

This is particularly acute in rural and regional areas.

They also require support of specialist teams including qualified technicians, forensic grief counsellors and other essential staff.

Specialist equipment is also needed to help determinecthe cause of death in the least invasive way possible.

Until 2016, medical officers who were not specialist forensic pathologists could perform coronial post-mortems at some regional NSW hospitals.

\This practice was phased out after quality and support issues, including in several high-profile coronial cases.

The present model provides the most efficient use of available expert resources while bringing services in line with modern, international best practice.

Coronial autopsies are usually carried out within 24 to 72 hours of the deceased being admitted to NSW Health Pathology’s specialist facilities with deceased patients transported by road via Statewide Mortuary Transfers.

Timeframes can sometimes vary depending on the nature and complexity of each case, the type of tests required, and the direction from the coroner.

This is not typically related to the transfer to our dedicated facilities.

In 2016/17, there were 36 coronial autopsies conducted at our Newcastle facility on deceased patients from Wagga Wagga and 31 of these were released within 72 hours.

Once an autopsy is complete, an interim report is provided to the Coroner and the deceased is returned to their loved ones for funeral arrangements. 

NSW Health Pathology recognises the death of a loved one is a very difficult time and works closely with partners to get bereaved families the care and answers they need.

The NSW Government invests $15.9 million annually to ensure NSW Health Pathology’s Forensic Medicine service carries out coronial autopsies and related testing at the request and direction of the coroner for all unexpected or unexplained deaths.

It has also invested $91.5 million to construct a new state-of-the-art Forensic Medicine and Coroner’s Court Complex at Lidcombe, Sydney.

It is expected to be operational in early 2019.