Cahill highlighted this issue today, after making contact with the HSE to share his concerns about this decision, and asked for a facility to be made available in Tipperary if one is unfortunately required.
Speaking on this today, Deputy Cahill said: “I have raised my serious concerns over the decision to not have a facility in place that can conduct post mortems in Tipperary between now and December 29th.
“Losing a loved one at any time of year is extremely difficult on a family, but a tragic death at Christmas is almost unimaginable and very difficult to put into words. Of course, this is not something any of us want to have to think about at this time of year, but this situation cannot be ignored either.
“Particularly in the case of a sudden or tragic death over the Christmas period, a devastated family would be left for far longer than they should have to for a post mortem to be conducted, before they can lay their loved one to rest.
“I think this is a seriously regrettable decision to make and I have shared these concerns with the HSE. I have asked the HSE to ensure that port mortems can be accessed between now and December 29th. God forbid one would be required in Tipperary over the Christmas period, this is only right so that a family would not be left far longer than is necessary to get this carried out”, Cahill concluded.