Pathologist

The Samoa Observer reports the Samoan government has an agreement in place with the Fiji Police Force to use their forensic pathologist, Dr James Kalougivaki, as Samoa has been without one for many years.

Deputy Police Commissioner, Papali'i Monalisa Tiai-Keti, confirmed that the forensic pathologist will have until December 23 to complete nine post-mortems to clear the backlog created by not having a forensic pathologist in Samoa.

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Acting Police Commissioner, Auapa'au Logoitino Filipo, confirmed the arrival of a pathologist from Fiji who will be here for two weeks.

He said one of the bodies in the morgue has been there since August 2021 as well as a mother who was killed by her husband while pregnant last December.

Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa said recently that her government is still continuing to secure a resident full time pathologist.

Talamua News Online reported the acting Police Commissioner, Papalii Monalisa Keti, said this week that the problem needs to be addressed urgently.

A special medical team from China had to be brought in in 2020 to handle many cases that had piled up with some dating back to the 2019 measles epidemic.

Papali'i said she hopes a pathologist is among the team from China that is currently in quarantine so post mortems can be done on the bodies still in the morgue.