Following Scathing Report, Research Operations Discontinued at Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine.
In a harsh report, the Health Ministry characterized all aspects of the management of the institute as inadequate. Organs had been taken from bodies of the deceased without the knowledge of the bereaved families. Safety conditions were deemed intolerable.
Thursday, 5 April 2001 19:14By Moti Ga
l Health Ministry Deputy Director-General Dr. Yitzhak Berlovitz met for the first time this morning with employees of the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir regarding a report disclosed yesterday to the health minister. Until the report is reviewed by the ministry, the CEO, Dr. Boaz Lev, decided to suspend all research activity at the Institute.
Workers reported that many actions will be taken to improve the situation at the Institute, including courses and seminars related to pathology, and improvements in the structure. The commission stated that the Institute was harvesting organs for teaching and research without the consent of the families, in violation of the Law of Anatomy and Pathology. Based on an erroneous interpretation of the law, the Institute passes organs to research institutions and universities, the report said, for a fee and reimbursement of cost. Also, the Institute does not maintain full documentation of the organs it harvests for research and teaching.
The committee also found serious irregularities in the documentation of funds granted to the Institute for harvesting organs. When organs were taken from a body for any purpose without the family's consent, various materials were placed into the body of the deceased to make it look normal. This constitutes disrespect for the dead and their families. The committee continued, "Working conditions in autopsy rooms are unbearable. Such an institute, which operates in risky conditions, requires special safety measures. The Institute was neglected over the years by the Ministry of Health. . ."
