Autopsies at the Institute of Legal Medicine (IML) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife were suspended at noon last Sunday due to a shortage of formaldehyde. As a direct consequence, forensic tests on three corpses were halted, according to sources from the Strike Committee at the centre under the Government of the Canary Islands.
Forensic doctors at the centre have been on an indefinite strike since February 21st, demanding the removal of the director, Jesús Vega, due to lack of transparency and poor management, as well as requesting increases in staff, better material resources, and decent working facilities.
The last formaldehyde container was loaned by officials from the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences. Formaldehyde is used to preserve samples sent from the IML to Toxicology for histopathological analysis (of the heart, brain, and other organs).
Sources from the Government of Canary Islands explained on Sunday evening that “the material is now at the IML.” They clarified that “there is a forensic guardian for 24 hours and an autopsy assistant” until midnight today. In other words, they now have the necessary products. The General Directorate of Relations with the Administration of Justice specifies that the purchase of materials “is done based on the orders placed by the forensic experts themselves.”
These professionals “can place orders in advance before the material runs out, or they can wait until the material is about to run out to place the order, which leads to the situation that has arisen today,” according to the Canary Islands government department. In any case, as it is an essential service, “the Government has expedited the supply and the material was delivered on Sunday afternoon to the IML.”
